La Vie En Rose
by Angie324
Summary: It's hard to see life through rosy hues, especially for Eliza Clark as she struggles to support her younger siblings. Without any other choice, Eliza leaves her siblings and risks her life to be a medic for Easy Company. Ironically, in the midst of war, Eliza's life turns from a dull grey to a rosy glow by falling in love with Easy Company's favorite red-haired leader.
1. The Reason Why

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Band of Brothers and the images I used, just my characters and story. In addition, I meant no disrespect to the real soldiers of Easy Company and I apologize for any mistakes whether it be historical inaccuracies or punctuation/grammar.

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Upottery, England: 1944

The dark gloomy sky of England was the perfect representation of Eliza Clark's emotions; the lingering fear and hesitation of jumping out of a plane to carry out her duty as a medic. Hell, every paratrooper was feeling the exact same thing. Around her, soldiers were checking their equipment, praying, and getting mohawks from Joe Liebgott to pass the time as they wait for further instructions.

Meanwhile, Eliza unclasped her necklace and slowly placed it in the palm of her right hands. The necklace was Eliza's prized possession since it used to be from her mother, who passed away years ago from influenza. As she gazed upon the necklace with its sparkling diamonds that formed a star, Eliza was reminded of the reason she joined the war. And so, the brown-haired medic of Easy Company gained the strength she needed to swallow her fear.

"Easy Company! Listen up! Gather around me!" First Lieutenant Thomas Meehan exclaimed from a distance, breaking Eliza's train of thought.

From the orders of the Lieutenant, Eliza quickly placed the necklace into her pocket and ran with the other men.

"Move it up! Let's go!" Meehan continued as the rest of the company surrounded the jeep he was standing on.

"The channel coast is socked in with rain and fog. High winds in the drop zone. No jump tonight. The invasion has been postponed. We're on a 24-hour stand-down."

With the dreaded jump postponed, the men grumbled and complained. However, Eliza cursed under her breath as the emotions came back, washing over her as if someone dumped ice cold water.

"Son of a Bitch," Bill Guarnere cursed with a frown.

"You got that right Gonorrhea," Eliza stated as she patted his shoulder.

"Now we gotta take off all of this shit and put it on again," She grunted, referring to the equipment weighing her down and the black substance smeared all over her face.

"You shouldn't even be complaining. Your medic's gear weighs less than ours," Joe Toye replied as he began to fuss with his chute.

"Shut up Toye, the amount of goddamn medical equipment I have weighs the same as any other paratrooper's shit," Eliza stated as she glared at him.

It was common knowledge in the company that Eliza wasn't a gal to cross due to her sharp tongue and witty comebacks. The men of Easy Company were surprised at first, but it showed that she was able to handle herself. So it wasn't a surprise that Eliza endured the harassment from her peers and became an official paratrooper.

As they began to take off their gear off, Eliza didn't notice that a loose string had caught onto a buckle on her chute, causing a tear on her pocket and the necklace falling to the floor.

"Hurry it up Stardust, I heard they're showin' a film up ahead," Guarnere stated as he nudged Eliza's arm as a sign to hurry.

"Okay Gonorrhea, don't get your knickers up in a twist," Eliza responded with a fake British accent causing Guarnere to smirk.

"From what I'm seeing, you like Old Gonorrhea better than me. You wound me, Stardust," Toye declared as he placed his hand on his chest as if his heart was breaking.

"Don't worry Toye, I like you just as much as the next guy," Eliza joked as she grabbed Guarnere's and Toye's arm, dragging them to the screening.

"But you know who our Stardust likes more than the rest of us, Bill?" Toye questioned with a smirk.

"Yeah, the red-headed Quaker!" Guarnere answered as both men laughed at Eliza's face, blushing to the extent that her face may even match the Lieutenant's hair color.

"Shut your mouths before someone hears you, Lieutenant Winters is just a friend," Eliza stated as she let go of their arms and looked around with worry. Fortunately, no one was near them.

"Stardust, you don't have to lie. It ain't hard to see that Winters and you gotta thing for each other," Toye responded with a smug.

"End of discussion, let's go before the film ends and I heard Rita Hayworth starring in it!" At the mention of Rita Hayworth, Guarnere and Toye ran with Eliza in tow.

However, both men didn't see the smile on Eliza's face because, from their company, she realized that even if her family was miles away, she had another family within arms reach.

And even though the trio had long been gone, Eliza's beloved necklace remained where it was, on the ground covered by the grassy path. However, a certain Lieutenant who decided to take a walk to clear his mind saw the glint of the diamonds. As he neared the sparkling object, he saw the familiar star necklace.

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San Francisco, California: 1942

Bright streams of sunlight shining through the old window pane at the corner of her room, caused Eliza to wake up from her much loved slumber. As she rose from her bed, soft brown hair cascaded down her back and bright green eyes slowly opened to adjust the beaming lights.

Eliza Clark was a simple girl, who had remarkable green eyes which she inherited from her mother. Since birth, Eliza's father, John Clark called her "Stardust" because when light shines on her eyes, it would gleam like bright stars in the night sky. The reason for her endearing nickname came from his interest in the night sky. Unfortunately coming from a poor family, John had to provide at a young age and so he couldn't pursue his passion. Even though John didn't have the opportunity to fulfill most of his dreams, he was truly grateful that having a loving family was one that he was able to accomplish.

The night he met his wife was a story that his children would always love to listen, even if they knew every aspect of it.

John Clark was a taxi driver in the city. However, on one particular night, he wasn't getting enough customers. Perhaps because it was late at night and everyone had gone home for the evening. As he turned a corner, a young blonde nurse was waiting outside a hospital. He guessed that she was probably waiting for a ride, so he stopped his taxi in front of her, hoping she would take his taxi instead.

"Excuse me miss, do you need a ride?" John asked as he rolled his window.

"No thank you, I'm waiting for my friend, she's usually late. However, she isn't this late," The young nurse replied, whispering the last statement in annoyance.

"Really miss, it would be much safer if you get a ride instead of waiting for your friend." John tried to reason as he saw a drunken man with a bottle in his hands, several blocks ahead.

"You're really persistent mister, how do I know you're not some serial killer." She replied back with much sass.

"Well, there's a drunk man with a bottle in his hands coming this way and I want to make sure you don't get hurt. I also won't charge you," John replied back with sincerity.

"Oh alright, thank you sir…?"

"The name is John Clark."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Clark, my name is Lillian Jones."

However, Eliza and her siblings wouldn't be able to hear the story from their parents anymore since their father was in a coma, as a result of a car accident while on the job.

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Eliza finally awake changed into a crisp white dress, brushed her hair into a simple updo pinning a white cap at the base, and slipped on white heels. As she stared into the mirror, Eliza smiled at her reflection, beaming with pride since she was able to be a nurse just like her mother. When she was finished, Eliza ran down the stairs to the small kitchen to help prepare breakfast.

However, when Eliza arrived, breakfast was already served by her sister, Evelyn and her youngest sibling, Daniel, was munching on cereal while reading his favorite superhero comic, Captain America.

"I'm sorry for waking up so late, " Eliza apologized as she saw Evelyn preparing their lunch for the afternoon.

"It's okay, I can handle making breakfast on my own and I know you needed more time to rest since you've been working late at the hospital," Evelyn responded with a smile.

Eliza smiled back, she was grateful for her sister because it was difficult to wake up early in the morning to prepare breakfast and lunch while having little sleep from working late. Because her father was in the hospital, Eliza was the only person in her family working. However, her income wasn't enough.

As both Daniel and Evelyn finished their breakfast, Eliza finished preparing their lunch for school and helped packed Daniel's belongings. After, Eliza walked with her siblings and wished them a good day at school.

While she continued walking to work, Eliza saw the many patriotic posters on buildings, encouraging enlistment after the United States entered the war. As she kept walking, one had caught her attention. It was a poster showing a blonde female dressed in the U.S. Nurse Corps uniform. The printed white bold letters told the audience, how proud the nation would be that females are carrying out their part in becoming nurses to aid the wounded.

However, it wasn't the pride that came in helping the war effort, it was the amount she would make that caught her attention. And at that moment, Eliza decided to enlist.

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Some time later…

During her rounds, Eliza was having a hard time figuring out how she was going to tell her siblings that she was to enlist in the Nurse Corps. Eliza knew that it was going to be difficult for them to understand since they already lost their mother and it was uncertain if their father would wake up. However, she had no other choice because her family really needed the money.

As Eliza was deep in thought, her best friend and fellow co-worker, Jane Miller noticed her lack of concentration. So Jane decided to flick Eliza's forehead to get her attention.

"Oww, what was that for?" Eliza asked in annoyance as she rubbed her forehead as if it would reduce the slight pain.

"You've been looking at the piece of paper in your hand for five minutes with a scrunched face, what's wrong?" Jane questioned while checking some paperwork.

With a sigh, Eliza replied, "I've decided to enlist in the Nurse Corps."

At her response, Jane looked at her brown-haired friend with worry, but she understood as she knew Eliza's difficulties.

"You joined because of the income?"

"Yeah, working overtime in the hospital isn't enough to pay for my siblings' school, the expenses of the apartment, and Papa's medical bills."

"Eliza, joining the Nurse Corps isn't your only choice, the other nurses and I can pitch in some money. You know it wouldn't be a problem for us since you've always been there for us when we had a problem," Jane responded with sincerity.

"Jane, it wouldn't be right for me to take anyone's well-earned money. It's my own problems and I don't want to burden anyone with it. Furthermore, you have your own family to worry about," Eliza reasoned with her friend but she smiled since Jane was willing to help her.

Knowing Eliza for many years, Jane knew Eliza to be kind and stubborn. It was the reason Eliza was respected among the doctors, nurses, and patients in the hospital. With a smile on her face, Jane flicked Eliza's forehead.

"Hey, what was it this time?" Eliza asked, frowning since she would now have a mark on her forehead.

"That's because you're too kind and stubborn, how are you going to tell Evelyn and Daniel?"

"I was worried about that earlier, I don't know," Eliza replied as she looks down dejected.

"Well, it's going to be difficult because you're leaving them, but your siblings will understand. How about you take them to the park, it's been awhile since you've spent time with Evelyn and Daniel," Jane suggested as she patted Eliza's shoulder in reassurance.

"Thank you, Jane."

"Of course, Eliza. Now let's get back to work, we have so much paperwork to do."

As she walked home, Eliza settled on bringing her siblings to the park because it was a while since her siblings had fun, especially since Eliza was working late. Parks have always been a special place for the Clark family. One of Eliza's memorable memory was going to the park with her father and playing baseball, their favorite sport. When she arrived, she told her siblings who were already home that it was a good day to go to the park. Daniel excitedly cheered, while Evelyn smiled.

At the park, Eliza played catch with her brother while Evelyn sat on the bench reading a book as the bright rays of the sun shined upon them. As time passed, Eliza and Daniel decided that Evelyn should join the fun, so they played tag. When Eliza was tired, she decided to sit on a bench and watch her siblings, smiling and having fun with no care in the world. As she watched, Eliza couldn't stop her tears falling as she realized that this moment may be the last time she would see her siblings, so happy.

When they arrived home, Eliza thought it was the right moment to break the news.

"Evelyn, Daniel, I wanted to tell you something important."

From Eliza's voice, the siblings turned to her as they intently listened to what she said.

"I've decided to enlist in the Nurse Corps."

From those words, Daniel and Evelyn were shocked that silence filled the room for many minutes. However, Evelyn with tears falling down, silently asked, "Why?"

"I'm not making enough money as a nurse to support Papa's medical bills, to pay off the apartment, and especially to support you and Daniel," Eliza responded with remorse.

"But you don't have to leave us, I can drop out of school and work at the bakery," Evelyn stated with desperation as tried to reason with her older sister.

"And I can sell some of my comic books," Daniel stated.

"Even if both of you do that, it wouldn't be enough," Eliza said and looked to Evelyn as she stated, "And what would Papa and Mama think if I let you drop out of school. What about your dream of becoming a teacher?"

She then looked at Daniel and stated, "You're not going to sell your comic books. You've worked hard for those."

"I'm the oldest and it's my responsibility to take care of you. There's nothing that's going to change my mind." Eliza continued as she looked at her siblings with certainty.

From her response, Evelyn and Daniel came running into her arms, holding her tightly. With tears dropping, Evelyn whispered, "Why can't you be selfish and let us help you."

And with her own tears streaming down her face, Eliza responded with a cracked voice, "Because I love you too much."

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As days went by, Daniel and Evelyn learned to accept that Eliza was going to be a nurse in the war. From this realization, they cherished every moment with Eliza because it could be the last time they would see their older sister.

After going through the process of enlistment, Eliza received a letter from Colonel Sink informing her that she was chosen to become a female medic for Easy Company in the 101st Airborne Division, based on the recommendations the doctors and nurses wrote for her. Although Eliza was deemed as one of the company's medic, she would be treated as any other field nurse. Further, into the letter, Eliza red that if she were to accept, she would earn $50 more. At that notion, Eliza quickly wrote back to accept even if she would face more danger than the average field nurse.

Before departing, Eliza visited her father at the hospital. As she entered the well-known white walls of the patient's room, she saw her father lying still in his bed, not waking up for several months. Eliza quietly sat on the brown seat next to the bed.

"Hello Papa, I know you might not hear me, but I decided to join the airborne as a medic," Eliza started in a whisper while she held her father's hand.

"I know what the risks entail with this job but I have to do it; for Daniel, Evelyn, and you."

"And if I don't make it, Papa, I just wanted to tell you how much I love you." As Eliza said this sentence, tears started to stream down her face.

Eliza wiped her face and sat in silence, watching over her father. As she gazed at her father, Eliza remembered the beloved gift she received from her father on her 18th birthday.

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After blowing the cake that Evelyn baked, it was time to open her gifts, even though Eliza refused because she didn't want their well-earned money to be spent on her. However, her father, siblings, and Jane believe gifts were necessary since it was a very special occasion. Evelyn gifted her some makeup stating with a smirk that she might need it in the future, Daniel gave a box of her favorite chocolate, and Jane gave her a new copy of her favorite novel. When it was time for her father's turn, he pulled out a small blue box.

"Happy Birthday, Stardust," John stated as he placed the box in her small pale hands.

"Thank you, Papa, but you shouldn't have," Eliza responded with a sincere smile.

"But I must since my Stardust is turning into a woman," John said with a loving smile.

As she opened the box, it was her mother's beloved star necklace.

"Papa, I can't accept this, it's Mama's favorite necklace," Eliza stated as she placed the cover back and handed the box to her father.

"No, my Stardust, your mother would've wanted you to have it, especially for your 18th birthday."

John took the necklace, clasped it onto her neck, and whispered, "I love you, Stardust."

"I love you too, Papa."

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The day finally arrived for Eliza to leave. Evelyn and Daniel helped pack her belongings in silence dreading the fact they wouldn't have their sister by their side. After, they hailed a taxi with Jane, who arrived minutes before they left the steps of their apartment.

When they reached the station, Eliza looked at her siblings and stated, "You guys look out for each other and don't worry too much about me, I'll be fine."

"Promise that you'll come back," Daniel asked with a sad smile.

"I'll try my best, Danny," Eliza said as she ruffled her brother's head, feeling his soft blond hair that reminded her of their mother. She turned to Evelyn, who was holding back her tears.

"Don't cry Evelyn, I'll be back" Eliza stated with a sad smile.

"I can't help it, Eliza, I'll miss you so much," Evelyn replied as her tears began to pour down her face. Eliza wiped Evelyn's face and gave her one of the brightest smiles she could muster to make her feel better, even if she was struggling herself.

"I know, I'll miss you too but I'll try my best to send many letters."

Eliza hugged both her siblings and gave each a kiss on their forehead. After, Eliza went to say goodbye to her dearest friend, Jane.

"Jane, please watch over my siblings," Eliza stated as she hugged Jane.

"Of course, Eliza, just watch yourself over there. I'll miss you," Jane said as she hugged Eliza.

"Also write to me if there are any handsome soldiers over there," Jane said with a smile trying to lighten up the mood.

"Jane!" Eliza said with a hint of seriousness, but the smile on her face betrayed her.

Eliza said her final goodbyes and boarded the train. Even though she would miss her family and friend, she felt that being a medic for the airborne was the right thing to do since it was to support them. It was her reason.

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Upottery, England: 1944

As Eliza watched the film, she reached into her pocket to retrieve the necklace, so that she could clasp it around her neck. However, Eliza didn't feel the familiar star necklace and her fingers protruded at the bottom of her pocket.

The realization that her necklace was missing caused Eliza to curse under her breath. In an instant, Eliza left the screening as she realized that removing her gear had caused the hole in her pocket.

In a distance, First Lieutenant Richard Winters and Lewis Nixon were having a conversation about the jump.

"I think it's clearing up. Think it's clearing up? " Nixon started, looking up at the grey sky.

"Nope," Winters replied while putting on his gloves.

"I think it's clearing up. How are your men?" Nixon questioned while walking with Winters.

"They'll be fine," Winters replied as both men stopped and Nixon sat down.

"Five o'clock in New York. Four o'clock in Chicago."

"Happy hour, huh?"

"Yeah, happy hour. A couple of drinks, maybe an early dinner before the theater. Civilized place for civilized men," Nixon stated as he took a drink from his flask.

"Should have been born earlier, Nix."

"What, and give up all this? We'll go to Chicago. I'll take you there."

While Nixon was talking, Winters removed his gloves and reached into his front pocket, pulling out a sparkling necklace that had caught his attention earlier. He knew the owner was Eliza since she would always play with it when she was nervous or bored. As Winters looked at the diamond star pendant, he thought it perfectly fitted Eliza since her beautiful green eyes would gleam like the stars at night when she smiled or laughed.

"Actually, you know who's from there?" Nixon continued, breaking Winters's thought of Eliza.

"Who? Oh, him," Winters answered as he looked at the necklace.

"What do you have there that's got all your attention?" Nixon asked curiously.

"Oh, it's Eliza's necklace, I found it earlier," Winters answered with a smile.

"Ah, speak of the devil, she's right over there. Hey Eliza, over here!" Nix shouted over at Eliza who was crouched over, looking for the necklace.

"What's up, Nix?" Eliza asked with curiosity.

"Dick's got something for you. I'll leave you two together," Nixon stated as he patted Winters's shoulder and smirked, meanwhile Winters glared at him.

"Hey Dick, so you have something for me?"

"Yeah, it's your necklace. I found it earlier, while I was taking a walk," Winters responded as he dropped the necklace in Eliza's hand.

"I've been all over looking for this. Thank you, Dick," Eliza responded with a smile.

And there it was, the smile that Winters loved so much.

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 **A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for reading my first Band of Brothers fanfiction. The nickname "Stardust" and the goodbye to her father is from Rogue One, a movie starring Felicity Jones, the actress I chose to portray Eliza. I hoped you enjoyed reading!**

 ***Edited on May 19, 2018.**


	2. Currahee

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Band of Brothers and the images I used, just my characters and story. In addition, I meant no disrespect to the real soldiers of Easy Company and I apologize for any mistakes whether it be historical inaccuracies or punctuation/grammar.

Thank You PurpleDolphinPlush, OneThatNoOneSees, jenna742, Lina1998, and nette0602 for favoring and following!

Also thank you to Afreakbynature and nette0602 for reviewing!

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Camp Toccoa, Georgia: 1942

Eliza stood still in the hot Georgia heat, waiting for the damned First Lieutenant Herbert Sobel to appear as the platoon waited in formation. While waiting, they became targets for mosquitoes, hungrily buzzing around. A mosquito had apparently got Nixon as he quickly swatted his neck. Unknown to him, Eliza smiled jokingly from behind, but karma interfered and her smile quickly turned into a frown since a mosquito bit her cheek. Eliza slapped her own cheek, successfully ending its life.

"Why are ya slapping yourself, Stardust?" George Luz joked, standing at her right side.

"Shut up, Luz," Eliza responded with a glare since she was tired of waiting in the heat, while mosquitoes bit her.

"You people are at the position of attention!" First Lieutenant Sobel shouted as he appeared with First Sergeant William Evans by his side.

Eliza starred as Sobel walked to the company wearing a brown leather jacket, wondering why he was wearing a leather jacket on a hot day. No one in their right mind would wear such a heavy jacket in the scorching heat.

As Sobel neared the platoon, he turned to one of the men, Frank Perconte.

"Private Perconte, have you been blousing your trousers over your boots like a paratrooper?" Sobel asked with a stern voice.

"No, sir," Perconte responded after bolting his rifle.

"Then explain the creases at the bottom," The Lieutenant continued.

"No excuse, sir," Perconte replied with a gulp.

"Volunteering for the Parachute Infantry is one thing, Perconte, but you've got a long way to prove that you belong here. Your weekend pass is revoked."

After tormenting Perconte, Sobel turned to his next victim, George Luz.

"Name," Sobel questioned, even though he knew the names of the men in his company.

"Luz, George," replied Luz as Sobel took his rifle.

"Dirt in the rear sight aperture. Pass revoked."

"Name," Sobel asked, however with much dislike since the trooper in front of him was a female. Sobel believed women didn't belong in the army, especially in his own company. His goal was to make Easy Company the best goddamn company in the airborne and he wasn't going to let a woman ruin it.

"Clark, Eliza," Eliza responded with much hatred.

"Private, your hair is sticking out of your helmet and there's dirt on your uniform. You better fix your appearance, what kind of soldier can't even handle the simplest of things. Pass revoked."

"Yes, sir," Eliza responded with the same tone.

Eliza knew her hair was neatly kept because she was sure that each strand was tied to her bun. Hell, her bun was so tight that it was pulling her hair out of their roots. And the "dirt" that Sobel pointed out was a mere speck.

Eliza knew that the Lieutenant hated her, so he always pointed out very unreasonable infractions, resulting in many of her passes revoked. Eliza in return hated that man with all her guts. Sobel then stood in front of John Martin, however, he stormed to Sergeant Carwood Lipton.

"When did you sew on the chevron, Sergeant Lipton?"

"Yesterday, sir."

"Long enough to notice this. Revoked."

He then went to Donald Malarkey.

"Name."

"Malarkey, Donald G."

"Malarkey... 'Malarkey' is slang for 'bullshit', isn't it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Rust on the butt plate hinge spring, Private Bullshit. Revoked."

And finally to Joseph Liebgott.

"Name."

"Liebgott, Joseph D., sir."

"Rusty bayonet, Liebgott. Do you wanna kill Germans?"

"Yes, sir."

"Not with this."

Sobel took his bayonet and hit it on his helmet, which Eliza thought to be unnecessary.

"I wouldn't take this rusty piece of shit to war and I will not take you to war in your condition," Sobel shouted to the men as he threw the bayonet to the ground. Eliza rolled her eyes since she thought Sobel was being dramatic. Unfortunately, Eliza was caught by the Lieutenant.

Sobel stormed to Eliza and shouted at her face, "Private, do you have something to say!"

"No sir," Eliza responded, trying to hold much certainty in her voice since she worried that her act of disrespecting Sobel would've brought consequences to the platoon.

"Well Private, since you've disrespected me, you will be placed on latrine duty," Sobel stated with a grimace. Eliza, however, sighed a breath of relief. He returned to the front.

"Now, thanks to these men and their infractions, every man in the company who had a weekend pass has lost it."

"Change into your PT gear. We're running Currahee."

At the mention of Currahee, Eliza cursed under her breath. The goddamn Lieutenant was always ordering the company to run that beast of a mountain. At first, Eliza had some difficulty running within the time limit set by Sobel. However, Eliza improved from the motivation of proving Sobel and other paratroopers wrong that females can be a part of the military.

"2nd Platoon, fall out. We have two minutes," Winters stated to his men, who quickly went to the cabins to change.

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"I ain't going up that hill," retorted Perconte, sitting on his bed.

"Same here Frank, but what choice do we have," Eliza exclaimed while changing behind a makeshift screen. Eliza learning from experience, already had her PT gear under her uniform. Even though she had a screen, Eliza was still cautious.

Suddenly, Martin rushed into the cabin and exclaimed, "Hey, Perconte, what are you thinking of, blousing your pants?"

"Shut up, alright? He gigged everybody!" Perconte tried to reason with Martin.

"Yeah? Well, you should know better! Don't give him no excuses."

"Excuses? Why don't you come here, look at these trousers, get down and you tell me if there's a crease on them!"

From their conversation, Eliza deduced that a fight would erupt. However, Lipton came at the right moment, shouting at the men to hurry up.

"Alright, let's go! On the road, in PT formation. Let's move, move, move!"

"Perconte. Let's go, Perconte."

At the sound of Lipton, Perconte quickly removed his uniform, already having his PT gear underneath.

After Eliza finished, she realized that the men already left; the only ones remaining were Lipton, White, and her. From Eliza's view, White wasn't in his PT gear and realized that he gave up.

"Private White, why are you not in your PT gear?" Lipton questioned. However, White ignored him.

"I asked you a question, private," Lipton continued but White continued to ignore him.

Eliza went up to Lipton, tapped his shoulder, and shook her head. Lipton then understood that White gave up and so they continued their way to Currahee.

While Easy Company was walking to Currahee, they met up with other soldiers from another company.

"Ah, Easy Company. Hey while you're running, don't worry, we'll take your dames to the movies for you," One soldier shouted.

"Yeah, good, they need some female company," Liebgott remarked sarcastically.

"Hey Clark, what about you? Want to ditch these boys and hang out with real men," stated a private, who noticed Eliza and gave her a wink.

It was a known fact that Easy was the only company to have a female medic. Other companies had been assigned female medics, but all of them quit due to the struggles of training, homesickness, or were dishonorably discharged.

Being the clever woman that she was, Eliza already had a response at the tip of her tongue.

"Sure, I would love to go to the movies," Eliza retorted as she gave the soldier a fake smile.

At her answer, the private was quite shocked but quickly gave her a smirk since she always declined when someone asked her out.

However, his expression quickly changed when Eliza uttered, "But running Currahee while Sobel shouts at my ear is more appealing than going out with someone like you."

At her answer, Easy Company cheered and laughed. Muck even gave her a high five and shouted, "That's our Stardust!"

The men ran to the soldiers and slapped their hats off. Eliza had the privilege of swiping the hat of the private just as she swiped the smirk off his face.

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"Where do we run?" Sobel asked while the company ran in formation.

"Currahee!" Easy Company shouted in response.

"What's Currahee mean?"

"We stand alone!"

At that answer, Eliza believed the statement when she first joined Easy Company. Most of the men didn't interact with her since she was a woman. However, it all changed when she stood up for herself. Eliza realized that even if each man did stand alone, he had his brother in arms standing right behind him.

"How far up? How far down?"

"Three miles up, three miles down!"

"Now, what company is this?"

"Easy Company!"

"And what do we do?"

"Stand alone!"

During the run, Muck tripped and stumbled. Eliza left her position to help Muck, along with the men surrounding him. However, Sobel caught them.

"Do not help that man! Do not help that man. You do not stop."

After Sobel turned his back, Eliza went to Muck's side and whispered, "Hey Skip, I'll check that later, just to make sure it isn't broken."

"Yeah okay, thanks Stardust," Muck whispered back with a smile. Eliza smiled back and went back to her position, so she wouldn't get into more trouble.

"You have 13 minutes to get to the top of this mountain if you wanna serve in the paratroopers!" Sobel ran ahead and shouted, "Hi-yo, Silver!" Eliza glared at the back of his head.

As Eliza neared the steep path of the mountain, she didn't notice a branch was in the way. Eliza's left foot got caught and she stumbled. With the help from Bull Randleman, Eliza continued running with a bloody scrape on her knee.

"Come on, you can make it up there! Come on! Come on, Alley! Let's go! Come on, Guarnere! You got it! Come on!" Winters shouted to encourage the men since he was the first one to reach the top.

"We are coming on 23 minutes. That may be good enough for the rest of the 506, but that is not good enough for Easy Company!" Sobel exclaimed to the company as they descended from the mountain. Eliza grumbled since Sobel was always complaining that their time wasn't good enough.

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After Currahee, the company was granted a much-needed break. Eliza went to check up with Muck to ensure that his ankle wasn't broken. Even though her bandage was soaked, Eliza was more preoccupied with checking Muck's injury since it was worse than hers.

In a distance, she saw Malarkey and Penkala helping Muck to the cabins. Eliza rushed to the guys to catch up.

"Hey, guys!" She greeted them with a smile.

"Hey Stardust, I'm sure you're here to check up on Skip," Malarkey smiled back.

"You got that right Don, just wanted to make sure that he didn't break anything," She replied with a smile. Both men placed Skip onto his bed.

"Skip, you lucky bastard, Eliza is taking care of you." Penkala patted Muck's shoulder as he laughed.

"Yea I may be the luckiest son of a bitch because Eliza's taking care of me, but this shit really hurts." Skip groaned in pain as Eliza applied pressure to his ankle.

"Well, the good thing is you didn't break it. It's a mild sprain, so it should heal up within a few days. Just keep weight off it and elevate it in the meantime. I'll get you some ice to reduce the swelling," Eliza stated with an assertive tone, the same tone she used when examining a patient at the hospital back home.

"Yes, ma'am," Skip replied, using a tone which one would use when talking to a superior officer.

After grabbing ice for Skip, she went on her way to grab some lunch. On her way, Eliza spotted Winters and ran to his side.

"Hey, Dick!" Eliza greeted with a smile, she always called him by his nickname when both of them were alone or if Nixon was present. Winters, in return, used her first name.

"Hi, Eliza. I saw you trip while we were running Currahee. Are you okay?" Dick stated as he looked at Eliza with concern.

"I just got a small cut, but other than that, I'm fine," Eliza replied. One trait of Winters that Eliza admired was how much he cared for his comrades. However, Winters didn't believe her as he saw how soaked her bandage was with blood.

"Eliza, that's not a small cut. It's still bleeding," Dick scolded her as they stopped walking.

"It's fine Dick, I didn't have a chance to clean it since I was checking up on Skip."

"You're always putting others before yourself, even when you're bleeding. Wait here, I'll get some supplies to get that cleanup. Wouldn't want it to get infected."

Eliza began to protest, however, Winters already left in a hurry.

As she waited, Eliza sat on a tree stump nearby and smiled to herself, it was nice that Winters cared for her. When that thought popped into her mind, Eliza's pale cheeks began to blush. With a shake of her head, Eliza began to ponder why that thought crossed her mind since Winters cared for all of his comrades.

After a while, Winters returned with the necessary supplies and bent down to Eliza's knee.

"Dick, what're you doing? I can do it myself."

"Like I said earlier, you've been putting others before yourself, now you should let someone help you."

Eliza with rosy tinted cheeks, whispered a thank you, while Winters tended to her wound.

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 **A/N: Sorry for this short chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it! Next chapter will focus on how she befriended the men of Easy Company.**

 ***Edited on May 23, 2018.**


	3. Fitting In

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Band of Brothers and the images I used, just my characters and story. In addition, I meant no disrespect to the real soldiers of Easy Company and I apologize for any mistakes whether it be historical inaccuracies or punctuation/grammar.

Thank you Lovely-Daisy,living-life-on-the-edge, and Ariella81 for following and favoring!

Also thank you nette0602, Byron W.4, and Afreakbynature for reviewing!

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Camp Toccoa, Georgia: 1942

After the break, Eliza was on her way to lecture for the medics, while the other men of Easy were to have a lecture on weaponry. From a distance, Eliza saw her fellow medics, Eugene Roe and Ralph Spina on their way so she ran to join them.

"Hey guys, wait up!"

"Well if it isn't Eliza Clark, here to grace us with her presence," Spina stated with mock amazement while Roe smiled at his comment.

"You're very welcome, Spina. But I'm just here to accompany you mere mortals to medic training." Eliza replied with a sarcastic smile.

"Clark, what happened to your knee?" Roe asked with worry as he saw the bandages tied to her knee.

"It's just a mere scrape. I tripped while running Currahee," Eliza reassured him.

"That ain't a small cut. You got gauze wrapped around your knee," Roe stated as he gave her a stern look.

"Don't worry about it, Gene. I got it all cleaned up."

From her words, the memory of Winters taking care of her, popped into her mind. And so Eliza's face began to blush.

"Eliza, why are ya turning red?" Spina questioned with interest.

"It's nothing! C'mon we're going to be late if we don't hurry." Eliza walked ahead of Roe and Spina, while both men shared a look of confusion, as they wondered what had caused Eliza's face to blush so suddenly.

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During Lecture…

Eliza couldn't focus much on what the doctor was saying, which was a problem since she never had a hard time being attentive. However, on this particular day, her brain chose not to cooperate with her. Fortunately, Eliza was a nurse before she signed up as a medic, so she wouldn't suffer the consequences for her malfunctioning brain. Eliza realized that she wasn't focusing because her mind was drifting to a certain red-haired Lieutenant. With a smile, Eliza remembered the first time she met Richard Winters and the other men of Easy Company.

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Camp Toccoa, Georgia: 1942

After a brief training on military protocol and manners, Eliza was on a train to Georgia for her official training as a medic. As she looked out of the window, Eliza saw the beautiful landscape. The sun was shining below, making the sky clear and the grass greener among the multitude of fields passing by. Eliza loved the picturesque scene in front of her since she rarely saw such a sight. In the country, it was tranquil; while the city was filled with bright lights and noisy streets. Don't get her wrong, Eliza loved San Francisco; but once in a while, she'd dreamed about settling somewhere quiet. As her thoughts drifted to her much-beloved city, Eliza couldn't help but miss her family and friend. She did receive letters from Evelyn, Daniel, and Jane stating how much they missed her and that they were fine. In return, Eliza wrote back about the training she endured and to not worry about her. However, letters would slightly relieve Eliza's homesickness since it wasn't the same as having them right by her side. Eliza then tried to clear her mind by looking at the scene in front of her since it wouldn't do good for her to dwell on missing her loved ones.

After the train ride, Eliza had to ride a bus which would then transport her to the camp. When Eliza entered the bus, seats were mostly taken by the nurses that would be the female medics. As she moved through the bus, there was an empty seat next to a blonde woman who looked to be about the age of Eliza.

"Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?"

"Not at all, go right ahead!" The blonde woman replied with a sweet smile. From her response, Eliza placed her bag away and sat down.

"Thank you, my name is Eliza Clark," Eliza replied with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Eliza, my name is Alice Moore," replied Alice as she raised her hand for a handshake. When Eliza reciprocated her action, Alice grabbed it and shook it enthusiastically, her bright personality reminding Eliza of Evelyn. During the bus ride, the girls talked about themselves to past the time. Eliza learned that Alice was from Minneapolis and had a younger sister. From their bonding and similarities, they swiftly became friends.

When the bus halted, both Eliza and Alice grabbed their stuff and exited the bus. As Eliza stepped foot on the camp, she saw men in uniform completing drills and running courses. Some were walking and chatting. As her gaze drifted to Alice, Eliza saw the pretty blonde in a daze watching the scene in awe, so Eliza nudged her shoulder.

"C'mon Alice, we gotta go. You can look at the men later," stated Eliza with a smirk.

"I wasn't looking at the men, I was just taking in the scenery," Alice said to defend herself, however, her blush told Eliza another thing.

Because of their chat, Eliza and Alice had lost their group and both women didn't know the location of the Colonel's office. While walking around, they both spotted two Lieutenants. With no other choice, Eliza decided to ask them. While Alice rushed to her side, Eliza then tapped the shoulder of the redheaded Lieutenant. When he turned, Eliza and Alice both gave a salute.

"Pardon for interrupting, but my friend and I lost our way, can you please direct us to Colonel Sink's office?" Eliza requested with a smile.

Being the gentleman that Winters was, he gave the women directions and Nixon, even asked the women if they wanted to show them the way. However, Eliza politely declined and stated that the directions were enough. From their uniforms, Winters concluded that the women would be the female medics joining the companies. After they saluted and expressed their appreciation, both women went on their way. However, Winters couldn't help but be intrigued by the brown-haired medic. From Nixon's standpoint, he knew that Winters had an interest in the brown haired women. With that notion, Nixon gave Winters a smirk.

"Nix, why are you smiling like that?" Winters questioned, pondering the fact that Nixon would surely ask him about the women they've recently met.

"It seems that you got your eye on the brunette," Nixon replied with a smirk.

"Don't be ridiculous Nix, we're training for war. Plus you were looking at the blonde," Winters replied with his own smirk.

"Touche," Nixon responded as he drank from his flask.

Meanwhile, Eliza and Alice neared the steps of the building that housed the Colonel's office. Eliza and Alice sighed in relief as they made it in time and quickly joined the group without catching the suspicion of others. When they entered, Colonel Sink greeted them and the women saluted. He briefed them about expectations, protocols, and punishments. In addition, Colonel Sink informed the women that they would be housed with the men to accustom them to their settings. After the meeting, the women went to their companies; Eliza was in Easy Company, while Alice was in Able Company.

The first time meeting the members of Easy Company was a memory that Eliza wouldn't forget.

A private had directed Eliza to Easy Company, who were in formation as they were being inspected by Lieutenant Sobel. She thanked the private, who hurriedly left to attend to other matters. Eliza stood still, while the Lieutenant took away the pass of a soldier.

Meanwhile, the presence of a woman had gained the men's attention. Nixon smiled since it was the same brunette that asked Winters and him for directions. Out of all companies that she would've been assigned, fate chooses her to be in Easy Company. His red-haired friend was sure lucky as hell.

After revoking a pass, Lieutenant Sobel went to the front of his company, however, halted as he saw a female in uniform standing in front of him. He knew that the woman would be a medic in his company since an experiment was being conducted to see how women would be in the army. At that thought, Sobel frowned because he believed that women would only fail since their only role was to be housewives.

As he stood in front of the female medic, Eliza saluted and addressed her situation in a clear voice.

"Good afternoon Lieutenant, my name is Eliza Clark. I'm the female medic for Easy Company."

"Private I don't care that you're the female medic for Easy Company. You're in my company for now on, which means that you'll follow my orders and if you don't, there will be serious punishments. Most importantly, I don't want you distracting my men. Understood Private?" Sobel announced with a scorn.

"Yes sir, " Eliza replied while trying to hide her anger. She didn't join the military to flirt, she had a job to do.

"Easy Company, Dismissed," Sobel shouted to the company and left, while the rest of the men went to spend their needed break.

After the incident, Winters went to welcome the brunette. When Eliza spotted Winters walking towards her, she smiled since it was nice to see someone familiar. She greeted him with a salute, while he saluted back.

"Hello Private Clark, I'm Second Lieutenant Richard Winters, welcome to Easy Company. Pardon First Lieutenant Sobel for his greeting, but please be warned that some of the men will be indifferent to your presence," stated Winters, while they shook hands.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Winters, I've volunteered to be a medic, so I'm prepared for what comes my way," Eliza assured him.

In a distance, Nixon saw that Winters was chatting with Easy's new medic and since he was curious, Nixon made his presence known. At the sight of Nixon, Winters introduced him.

"Private Clark, this is Second Lieutenant Lewis Nixon."

"Please to meet you, Lieutenant Nixon." After her greeting, Eliza saluted the Lieutenant and received one in return.

"The pleasure is mine, Private Clark," Nixon said with a smirk.

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After being shown the cabins and given time to settle down, Eliza sat down on her cot, located at the back of the room. Eliza preferred it since she only had one bed on the right side and it gave her more privacy. While she was putting away her belongings, most of the company entered to change out of their uniform to PT gear. Winters had told her that after the break, the company was to run Currahee, which Eliza was dreading from his explanation. From the group of men, Eliza spotted a familiar tall and skinny man with dark hair; the man also recognized her.

"Well, I'm not surprised you joined the war as a medic, Liz. I didn't notice you earlier without your short hair, red cap, and overalls." Joe Liebgott smiled at Eliza, a childhood friend he had lost touch with.

"Long time no see, Joe. It seems you haven't changed at all, you're still lanky." Eliza returned the smile with a twinkle in her eyes, as she remembered the memories of playing baseball with Liebgott.

"Joe, how'd ya know the dame?" Luz asked with curiosity, voicing the same thoughts of all the men.

"The dame has a name, it's Eliza and I knew this idiot when we were young. We used to play baseball together with kids in our neighborhood," Her statement had peaked the interest of the men, while Joe shot Eliza a glare.

Eliza befriended Joe when she asked to join his team to play baseball. However, he immediately refused since girls didn't play baseball. Her father came up to Joe and asked to give her a chance. Joe being a child, didn't want to get in trouble so he reluctantly allowed Eliza to join. When it was her time to bat, she scored a home run, which helped his team win. From that moment, he always picked Eliza since she was a great batter. However, when her mother died, Eliza rarely came to the park until she never came at all. Liebgott was curious to why Eliza stopped playing, tried to visit her. However, Eliza had moved out of the apartment she had lived since her father couldn't afford it anymore. Unfortunately, Liebgott never had a chance to say goodbye.

From the way she answered, the men knew Eliza wasn't like any gal they've met. However, the men thought it wouldn't be worth to know Eliza since she would quit from merely rigorous training. But in the few months to come, the men of Easy Company would be very wrong.

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With the men gone, Eliza decided to quickly change out of her uniform to PT gear. While she was taking off her blouse, Winters decided to check if the men were ready and heading to formation. In a split second, Winters saw Eliza in an ivory camise. The mere sight of Eliza caused Winters's face to turn beet red. Eliza immediately put on a shirt with a flushed face.

"I apologize, Private Clark, I was just checking the cabins to see if the men were done changing." Winters stumbling due to embarrassment.

"It's okay Lieutenant Winters, I should've been more careful," respond Eliza.

From this incident, Eliza decided that she should create a screen from the curtains of her window. With a nod, Winters left Eliza to finish changing her clothes and both soldiers went to Currahee.

Eliza's first time running Currahee was horrendous because some of the men in her company insulted and pushed her. To ignore the harassment, Eliza paid attention to her breathing and sound of her foot pounding on the pavement as she took a step, helping her keep up with the men. However, it wasn't good enough for Lieutenant Sobel who shouted at her to speed up.

"Private, hurry it up. I don't know why they let you in the military when you can't even keep up."

Eliza wanted to shout back in anger but continued to focus on her breathing since she didn't want to be discharged.

Liebgott shot her a concerned look since Eliza was one of his best friends growing up. As it was her dream to be a nurse just like her mother, Eliza always tended to Liegott's wounds when he got injured playing baseball or in fights with other kids. It was now his turn to help her. From his concern, Eliza smiled to tell him that she was alright.

Days went by and nothing changed. The men continued to ignore her, except for Liebgott and the Second Lieutenants. Liebgott even tried talking to the guys that Eliza was a fine medic, however, his words weren't enough. Furthermore, Eliza faced verbal harassment from Sobel and other soldiers who didn't accept females in the military. It was getting hard to continue, which was why most of the women left including Alice, but Eliza was determined to stay.

While running a course on Currahee, a soldier decided to trip her by sticking his foot out. Eliza was focused on running that she didn't notice and tripped. On the ground, Eliza's face was unnoticeable since it was covered from the strands of hair, although it was clear that she couldn't take it anymore. As she kept her head down, Eliza saw that a shadow towering over her, and when she looked up, Eliza saw Winters with his hand reaching out towards her.

"I know you want to quit, but quitting would only prove that Lieutenant Sobel was right," Winters stated with a small smile.

"Thank you," replied Eliza; thanking him for not only helping her stand but for the words that helped her keep going.

Eliza ignored her injured knee and kept running, finishing Currahee with a limp. The men knew that she fell, but the fact she stood up and ran with an injury conveyed that she was here to stay. Soon, Easy Company accepted Eliza Clark as one of their own.

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Roe looked at his side and saw that Eliza wasn't paying attention, so he decided to poke her shoulder.

"Are ya sure you're okay?" Roe whispered since they were in the middle of a lecture.

"Yeah, just tired from all of the running we did earlier," Eliza replied with a smile.

Roe smiled back and continue to pay attention to the lecture. He thought of Eliza as one of his friends. Hell, every man of Easy thought the same, except for a certain Lieutenant. Even though he kept a distance from the men, it was difficult not to befriend Eliza with her selfless and caring personality. There were times when he needed more information about medical terms or procedures, and Eliza was always there to help him even if she was tired from training. And for that, Roe would always be grateful to Eliza. When the lecture ended, Roe left with Eliza and Spina for more physical training, which the trio dreaded.

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After a hard day of training and lectures, Easy Company was ordered by Sobel to march in formation with their uniform and equipment on, in the dark of night. In formation, Eliza was stationed between Randleman and Luz.

"I'm gonna say something," expressed Randleman in the midst of the sounds of their footsteps.

"To who?" Luz questioned, while Eliza gave him a curious look. However, Randleman knowingly looked back at her.

"Lieutenant Winters," exclaimed Randleman, satisfying Eliza's and Luz's curiosity.

"What is it?" Lieutenant Winters responded, looking back at his soldier.

"Permission to speak, sir."

"Permission granted."

"Sir, we've got nine companies, sir."

"We do."

"How come we're the only company marching every Friday night, 12 miles, full-packed uniform, in the pitch dark?" questioned Randleman, which Eliza nodded her head in agreement.

"Why do you think, Private Randleman?"

"Lieutenant Sobel hates us, sir." At Randleman's answer, Eliza smiled.

"Lieutenant Sobel does not hate Easy Company, Private Randleman. He just hates you," Winters joked, which was rare for the Lieutenant who did everything by the book.

At his joke, the men snickered, including Eliza.

"Thank you, sir," Randleman responded with a straight face, but it was clear from Eliza's view that he also found Winters's answer to be amusing.

"He hates him back," Muck shouted at the back.

"He hates you, too, Muck. But he hates Eliza the most," Luz replied with a laugh.

"No shit Luz," Eliza answered, playfully hitting Luz's shoulder for stating the obvious.

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At the end of the march, Easy Company stopped in formation and waited for the Lieutenant's order.

"Lieutenant Winters, I want canteens out of belts with the caps unscrewed," Sobel stated while inspecting the men as they stood in formation, exhausted and miserable.

"Easy Company, canteens out and open," Winters reiterated Sobel's order to the company.

"On my command, they will pour the contents onto the ground."

"Under CO's order, you will open your canteen."

"Now, Lieutenant."

"Pour them!"

The men poured their canteens, emptying the beloved water that would satisfy their thirst. Meanwhile, Eliza prayed that none of the men didn't drink from their canteens to avoid the Lieutenant's wrath. From a distance, she saw the stream of Pat Christenson's canteen ending earlier than the rest of them. Now, she prayed that Sobel wouldn't notice. However, tonight her prayers wouldn't be answered.

"Who is this!" Sobel shouted, stomping to the private.

"Christenson! Why is there no water in your canteen? You drank from your canteen, didn't you?" Sobel questioned with disdain.

"Sir, I-" Christenson began to defend himself, however, he was cut off by Eliza.

"Sir, Private Christenson was only looking out for himself. As a nurse and medic for Easy Company, I recommended Private Christenson to drink from his canteen since he was dehydrated. If there is anyone to be at fault for his action, it would be me," Eliza stated with a clear voice, she wasn't going let Sobel punish a man who drank water since he was dehydrated.

"Lieutenant Winters!" Sobel shouted, ignoring Eliza's statement.

"Yes, sir?"

"Was this man ordered to not drink from his canteen during the Friday night march?"

"He was, sir."

"Private Christenson, you have disobeyed a direct order. You will fill your canteen and repeat all 12 miles of the march immediately! And Private, since you ordered him to drink from his canteen, you will be doing the same," Sobel shouted at their faces.

"Yes sir," responded Christenson and Eliza, at the same time.

"Fall out!" With that order, Eliza and Christenson ran to fulfill Sobel's order. However, she saw that Sobel went to speak with Winters and from the looks of it, Eliza knew that Sobel was blaming Winters for their actions, especially hers.

Before they were to start the march, Christenson decided to ask why Eliza defended him, even though he knew for sure that Eliza didn't notice him drinking from his canteen.

"Hey Eliza, why'd you tell Sobel it was your fault?"

"Because you shouldn't punish a man who was only looking out for himself. Plus it was fun to piss him off."

"You're something else, Stardust."

"Of course Pat, now let's get this shit over."

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At the end of the trail, Winters stood waiting, since he had to verify that Eliza and Christenson finished the march and emptied their canteens. When both soldiers did what they were required to do, Winters dismissed them. However, Eliza didn't move and Winters knew she had something to say.

"What is it, Eliza?"

"Did Sobel blame you for not having Private Christenson and I follow protocol?" Eliza asked with worry.

"No, he just asked me to give six men infractions and disciplinary recommendations," responded Winters.

"I can be one of the men, it was my fault anyway," Eliza immediately stated.

"No, you already had to march again with Private Christenson. I knew you didn't recommend him to drink from his canteen since you weren't stationed near him."

Winters knew how selfless Eliza was, it wasn't a surprise she defended Christenson. However, Winters was worried since Eliza looked like she was to collapse from exhaustion. At his response, Eliza gave him a pointed look since he was ignoring her request.

"Don't worry, Eliza. I decided on McDonald, Toye, Perconte, Lipton, Muck, and Guarnere. It's their turn for latrine duty anyway," Winters reasoned.

"Fine."

Eliza gave up since she was extremely tired and so Winters told her to get some rest. However, the night sky was so beautiful that sleep would have to wait. So Eliza sat on a nearby rock, took off her helmet and let her hair freely flow. Winters noticed that she wasn't moving, so he questioned her.

"Eliza, you need to rest. You can look at the stars at another night, they're not going away," Winters stated as he smiled at her, she smiled back.

"It's just really pretty. Since I got here, I never had the chance to admire it. You don't get to see the stars from San Francisco because of the bright city lights."

So Winters sat next to Eliza, who was attentively looking at the stars. However, the beauty of the stars didn't compare to the woman sitting next to him. The light from the moon and stars gave a glow to her face, which was framed with her soft brown hair, slightly tousled from the wind blowing. While her green eyes twinkled among the stars as she gazed into the night sky. The sight of her almost left him breathless because it was perfect.

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 ***Edited on May 23, 2018.**


	4. Stardust

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Band of Brothers and the images I used, just my characters and story. In addition, I meant no disrespect to the real soldiers of Easy Company and I apologize for any mistakes whether it be historical inaccuracies or punctuation/grammar.

Thank you Spiral-Of-Fools for following and nette0602 for reviewing!

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Camp Toccoa, Georgia: 1942

When Eliza finished stargazing with Winters, she went back to the cabins and immediately took her uniform off. When her head dropped onto the pillow, Eliza quickly fell asleep due to exhaustion. As the sun rose, its bright lights immediately woke Eliza since her window didn't have curtains. However, when Eliza slowly opened her eyes, she saw that the cabin was empty. An empty cabin in the morning meant that everyone was eating breakfast at the mess hall, so Eliza quickly jumped out of her bed and changed into her uniform, not giving a damn about her appearance. When Eliza entered the mess hall, she saw the men beginning to eat, and with a sigh of relief, she went to grab what food was left. After waiting in line, Eliza sat next to Liebgott.

"Hey, sleeping beauty finally woke up," remarked Liebgott with a smirk.

"Shut up Joe, you try marching 24 miles in the dark without drinking any fucking water. Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" retorted Eliza as she harshly punched his shoulder.

"Calm down, Liz. No need to get all violent, I thought you needed more sleep so I left without you," Liebgott stated while rubbing his shoulder as if it would ease the slight pain.

"Morning Stardust, you look like shit," commented Luz as he sat down next to her.

"Why thank you, Luz," Eliza commented back with a sarcastic tone.

"You're welcome," Luz replied back with a smirk and the trio started eating breakfast.

Because she was so tired, Eliza only ate a little and went back to sleep on her crossed arms which supporting her head, while the men around her talked or complained. After a while, Liebgott saw Eliza fast asleep and smiled at the sight, he would later wake her up and hopefully not face her wrath a second time.

Meanwhile, Nixon and Winters were having a conversation about last night's march.

"So, what did you do?" Nixon questioned while his tray was being filled with what the military deemed "food".

"Picked six men and gave them latrine duty," answered Winters, while both men walked to a table.

"The lucky six?"

"McDonald, Toye, Perconte, Lipton, Muck and Guarnere."

"Why them?"

"It was their turn. However, Eliza wanted to take part in it." When Winters mentioned Eliza, he smiled.

"How come?" Nixon asked curiously while he sipped the bitter coffee.

"Eliza thought it was her fault that Lieutenant Sobel issued infractions. But I assured her that she wasn't at fault. She even marched with Private Christenson." When Winters answered, Nixon, smiled. His brown-haired friend was always looking out for her comrades.

"From what I'm seeing, Sobel's a genius. I had a headmaster just like him in prep school; I know the type."

"Lewis, Michelangelo's a genius, Beethoven a genius…"

"You know a man or woman in this company who wouldn't double-time Currahee with a full pack, just to piss in that guy's morning coffee?"

And with that notion, both Lieutenants continued eating their breakfast.

After breakfast, Easy Company had a day long of training and lecture ahead of them. From this thought, Eliza had to wipe off the tiredness from her face after being woken up by Liebgott. Eliza initially gave him a murderous look for being woken up a second time.

"Damn Liz, no need to be giving me that look. I just woke you up since we gotta go to training," Liebgott defended himself.

"Sorry Joe, I'm just really tired," Eliza replied with a yawn.

"Yea I know, now let's go, so you don't fall back to sleep and have Sobel shouting at your goddamn ear off." And so, Eliza followed the rest of Easy Company to a day full of training and lecturing.

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It was a nice sunny day as Easy Company was training to properly jump out of a plane, however, Lieutenant Sobel was shouting at every soldier due to their inaccurate positions.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Lieutenant Sobel shouted, alerting Eliza that it was her turn.

"Go!" Another soldier shouted and with that, Eliza jumped out of the plane in the position that she was meticulously taught. However, her position wasn't correct to Sobel.

"Not only did you manage to break your legs, you also broke your arms. Are you trying to kill yourself, Private?" Sobel shouted at Eliza as she stood up and dusted away the dirt on her uniform.

"No sir," Eliza replied with a grim face since she thought her stance was correct.

"Stand in the door," Sobel ordered her with the same expression.

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"Shit!" Bill muttered under his breath as he tripped over the rope course that Easy was currently training on. Eliza, who was near him, offered assistance and he gladly accepted. As the pair raced to the towering wall, Winters shouted encouragement to his men.

"To the wall! To the wall! Over as a team! Come on! Against the wall!"

The wall had once been the enemy of Eliza because she couldn't reach the top unlike most of the men in her company. Her struggles had almost cost her being sent home, however, with the motivation and assistance from Winters, Eliza currently was able to conquer the wall with ease. Not only did Winters support Eliza, but it was the first time he used her nickname.

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Camp Toccoa, Georgia: 1942

Eliza was sore, sweaty, and tired from attempting to reach the top of the wall for the seventh time. It was now evening and most of Easy were eating dinner. Meanwhile, Eliza decided to train all day and didn't take any breaks because Sobel warned her that if she couldn't reach the wall for tomorrow's training, she would be sent home. Eliza was lucky that Winters reasoned with Sobel. Unfortunately, her luck was running out because she couldn't reach the wall, even if her hands and knees were scraped and bleeding. Eliza didn't care for her state since she was focused on reaching the top of the wall because if she couldn't, she would have to leave the men, she considered as her brothers. Not only were the men counting on her, but Eliza's family was depending on her.

"Eliza, you need to take a break," Winters stated as he saw Eliza fall down from the wall again.

"I can't Dick, if I don't reach that goddamn wall, I'll be sent home," Eliza reasoned as she once took another stance to run at the wall.

"Even if you tried again, you wouldn't make it because you're tired and sore," Winters rationalized with Eliza. However, Eliza ignored him and tried to reach the wall again with all her might. However, she fell again, just like the numerous times before.

"I should've known you'd be so stubborn. How about you take a break and I'll teach you a trick to jump over the wall." Winters smiled as he knew that Eliza would accept. He was right, of course, as Eliza nodded her head in agreement.

After getting some dinner and bandaging her wounds, Eliza and Winters were at the wall again. She glared at the wall because it could be the reason she would be sent home, however she had faith in Winters. He told her to jump at the wall about a pace away and that her foot should drive downward. Acting upon Winters's advice, Eliza almost reached the top of the wall with her fingers barely brushing the edge. As she slid down to the ground, Winters saw that Eliza was giving up.

"I can't do it, Dick. Lieutenant Sobel was right, I'm not fit to be in Easy," Eliza stated with a tone of dejection as she sat down with her head resting on her crossed arms.

"Eliza don't give the Lieutenant Sobel the satisfaction that he was right. You almost made it, just give it another try." Winters sat down next her.

"I can't do it anymore. Even if I try again, I'm just going to fall down," Eliza responded as she kept her head down.

"C'mon Stardust, I know you can do it." Winters rose up and reached his hand to help her up.

At the mention of her nickname, Eliza's head rose and looked to see Winters's hand out to her. Eliza accepted his assistance and whispered, "Okay."

From Winters's encouragement, she ran to the wall and followed the steps Winters taught her. As she neared the wall, her fingers firmly gripped the edge and successfully hauled herself over the wall. When she landed on the other side, Eliza cheered and ran to the other side.

When she neared Winters, Eliza hugged him tightly. Initially, Winters was surprised, but he hugged Eliza back.

"Thank you so much, Dick!" Eliza responded with a laugh.

"No problem, Stardust, " Winters replied with a laugh of his own.

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Days at Camp Toccoa continued on with rigorous training and lecture. Easy Company had to run Currahee numerous times and go through other drills that Lieutenant Sobel seemed fit, even to the point of crawling through pig's guts under a fence in full uniform.

As her time at Camp Toccoa lengthed, Eliza couldn't help miss her family and friend. She was thankful to receive letters stating that her siblings and friend were okay. However, letters weren't enough to suffice her homesickness. Eliza missed the conversations with Jane during their breaks (even though Jane mostly informed Eliza of the gossip she heard from the other nurses), the times she would braid Evelyn's golden hair just as their mother did for Eliza, and reading to Daniel during his bedtime. Hell, Eliza even missed the way her father would call her "Stardust".

She was grateful that the men took upon calling her "Stardust" because it reminded her of home. Just the simple "Stardust" from the men made Eliza smile since she was reminded of having a family in Easy Company. From that thought, Eliza was brought to the memory of how her men called her "Stardust."

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Camp Toccoa, Georgia: 1942

"Private Clark," A soldier exclaimed with a letter in hand. When she heard her name, Eliza quickly finished lacing her boots and ran to the soldier. As she neared him, the soldier gave the letter and Eliza whispered a thank you. From the elegant handwriting, she immediately knew it was from Evelyn. With a smile on her face, Eliza quickly tore the envelope and unfolded the letter. In the midst of reading the letter, Muck decided to disturb her with a question.

"Hey Eliza, is that a letter from your fella? Because from the way your smiling it seems that you're reading a love letter."

From Muck's question, the men around her seemed to be curious as their heads turned towards Eliza and looked curiously at the letter in her hands.

"Hell, he even calls her Stardust," Penkala stated to the men as he looked at the letter and from that, the men were coming to pester Eliza to tell them about her suitor.

"Calm down, I don't have a man writing me love letters. This letter is from my sister, Evelyn and the nickname came from my father," Eliza answered.

"It fits you, Eliza, from now on we're gonna call you Stardust," Luz stated with a smile.

From there on, "Stardust" was commonly used by the men of Easy. They agreed that Stardust perfectly fitted Eliza because her smiles, brighten their dark days.

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After Winters returned from being promoted to First Lieutenant, he saw Eliza walking to the mess hall, so he decided to join her.

"Hello Eliza," Winters greeted with a smile, which Eliza couldn't help but smile back.

"Hi Dick, congratulations on being promoted!"

"Thank you, but how did you know? I just got back from Lieutenant Sobel several minutes ago," Winters curiously asked.

"I was around the area and got curious why Lieutenant Sobel and the officers were in the cabins, so I stayed a while. Fortunately, I hid my stuff away. However, it's unnecessary that Sobel assigned you to be mess officer for 14 days," Eliza replied back.

At her statement, Winters gave Eliza a look conveying that she needed to watch her words because someone could hear her.

"Eliza, it's part of my duty to be Lieutenant Sobel's executive officer. If I have to be a mess officer for 14 days to prove my skills and potential, so be it." Winters reasoned with her.

"You don't have to prove anything Dick, you're already a great leader just by how you lead us in training. If anyone deserves to lead Easy Company, it would be you. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if you're promoted to Major by the end of the damn war." Eliza stated with her infectious smile.

"Thank you, Stardust."

It was the second time Winters used her nickname and Eliza loved the sound of it.

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 **A/N: Sorry for the short chapter and not updating for a while, I've been busy with school. However, I'll try my best to update on Friday or the weekends. Thank you for understanding and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

 ***Edited on May 25, 2018.**


	5. A Hidden Truth

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Band of Brothers and the images I used, just my characters and story. In addition, I meant no disrespect to the real soldiers of Easy Company and I apologize for any mistakes whether it be historical inaccuracies or punctuation/grammar.

Thank you wildcat717, Foxmac, Cryptic Widow, LeesFreak112, MireiKabral, emaincharm, and neh94 for following and favoring!

And thank you Afreakbynature and Georgianna for reviewing!

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Camp Toccoa: 1942

Easy Company was currently in the mess hall eating spaghetti that Sobel ordered for today's lunch. It was a surprise that the company was given such a delicacy deemed to the military's standard, however, the men didn't put much thought into it as they were hungry. Eliza, however, arrived late since she was diligently studying for medic training and had lost track of time. As Eliza stood in line, she heard the cook telling Winters that more spaghetti would be coming up because the men were grabbing seconds. After the comment, Winters turned his head and saw Eliza with her tray in hand waiting for food. He gave her a smile to apologize since she had to wait.

"Damn men and their appetite," Eliza remarked with a smile.

"Well, you can't blame them," Winters replied.

"Changing the topic, it's uncalled for that Lieutenant Sobel assigned you as mess officer. In my perspective, it's a waste of your time since you could be leading the men in training, which is more important," Eliza continued the conversation with a pointed look.

However, Winters couldn't reply as the cook returned with more spaghetti and filled her tray. So instead, Winters gave her the same pointed look, to watch what she was saying. Eliza in return gave an innocent smile and made her way to the tables.

"This stuff is orange. Spaghetti ain't supposed to be orange," A soldier shouted out as Eliza sat down next to Liebgott and gave him a smile as a greeting. Liebgott smiled in return with spaghetti sauce all over his mouth.

"This ain't spaghetti. This is Army noodles with ketchup," Perconte replied back as he was eating a bread roll.

"You ain't gotta eat it," Guarnere commented while eating his own plate of spaghetti.

"Oh, come on, Gonorrhea, as a fellow Italian you should know that calling this crap spaghetti is a mortal sin."

"You don't want it? I'll have it." Hoobler turned his back and tried to reach for Perconte's plate.

"I'm eating here!" Perconte shouted, while Guarnere swatted Hoobler back and shouted, "Hey! Get outta here."

From two tables away, Eliza watched the interaction between her friends with a smile. She did agree with Perconte as her plate was filled with crap that the army called "spaghetti", so she left her plate untouched. In addition, Eliza found it strange for Sobel to give them a special meal because he didn't care what Easy Company was eating. Eliza did think that the reason was for his promotion, but it would be highly unusual for Sobel to gift them without something in return.

As Eliza was in thought, Liebgott saw that she wasn't eating her spaghetti and thought that something was wrong.

"Liz, why aren't you eating? Is something wrong?" Liebgott asked with worry, she was touched that he cared so much for her, he was the older brother she never had.

"I'm fine Joe, but don't you find it strange that Sobel ordered spaghetti for lunch?" Eliza expressed her thought.

"Well it is weird, but I'm glad that son of a bitch gave us something better than the crap they always serve," Liebgott responded as he filled more spaghetti in his mouth.

"Orders changed! Get up! Lectures are canceled. Easy Company is running up Currahee! Move! Move!" Sobel suddenly shouted as he entered the mess hall. At his order, Eliza knew she was right and worried that Easy would become sick from running with a full stomach.

"Three miles up, three miles down! Hi-yo, Silver! Let's go! Let's go!"

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At the commands of Sobel, Easy Company was running Currahee with full stomachs, which caused some of the men to throw up the spaghetti they just ate. Fortunately, Eliza didn't eat the spaghetti, however, she was nauseous to the point of vomiting because she had not eaten since morning.

"You're a washout, Private Hoobler! You should pack up those ears and go home!" Sobel shouted at the ear of Hoobler as he wiped his mouth from vomiting.

After pestering Hoobler, he then jogged to Gordon, "Looks like Gordon's done! Aren't you, Gordon? You finished? You do not deserve to get your wings!"

He then ran to the side of Randleman and commented, "Private Randleman, you look tired. There's an ambulance waiting for you at the bottom of the hill. It can all be over right now. No more pain, no more Currahee... No more Captain Sobel."

But unfortunately Sobel didn't stop there, he decided to taunt Eliza as well.

"Private, you don't belong here, you never did in the first place. You're just acting tough, but you're going to break down just like every other woman did. And I'll be the one to break you." The last sentence was silently stated to Eliza as she felt his hot breath on her face.

Internally, Eliza was having a battle with herself. She tried to push through the nauseous feelings and to make matters worse, she had Sobel shouting in her ear that she wasn't good enough while running goddamn Currahee. Fortunately, Sobel deemed that she wasn't worth any more of his time and left because soon after, Eliza slowed down and heaved. While she was throwing up, Eliza felt someone patting her back. When she turned around, Eliza saw that it was Winters.

With a smile, Eliza stated, "I thought you were carrying out your duties as mess officer."

"Well, I am also the First Lieutenant of Easy, so I should be running Currahee with my men," Winters replied, as they continued to run.

To boost the morale of the men, Luz started to sing and soon the rest of East joined.

" _We pull upon the rises"_

 _We pull upon the grass,_

 _we never land upon our feet,_

 _we always hit our ass._

 _Hi-Dee, Hi-Dee, Christ Almighty, who the hell are we?_

 _Zim-Zam, goddamn, we're Airborne Infantry!"_

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The day had finally arrived for Easy Company to start their jump training. Eliza was so nervous that her hands were slightly shaking. She tried to control her agitation, however, it was no use. It started during the lecture from the jump teacher as he explained that they were going to drop from a C-47 aircraft, falling down 1000 feet above ground level and that they had to accomplish five jumps to be promoted as actual Paratroopers. In addition, soldiers who hesitated or refused to jump were to be discharged from the Airborne. Eliza cursed under her breath since she was worried that her nerves would get in the way and ruin her chances of becoming a Paratrooper.

While Easy Company was preparing for their first jump, Roe knew that Eliza was nervous because she tried covering her shaking hands. He knew that if her nerves got the best of her, she would be kicked out of Easy Company, and most of the men didn't want that to happen. They saw Eliza as part of Easy, not caring to those who opposed. So Roe set out to help Eliza.

As Roe approached the female medic, Eliza gave him a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes and greeted him, "Hey Doc."

Roe gave her a smile in return and asked her, "You Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Eliza replied as she did another check, making sure that the clasps were secured.

"You know it's okay to be nervous. Hell, I'm pretty sure every man in this company is nervous, even I am. However, you shouldn't let it get to you. Don't want Easy's Stardust gettin' kicked out." Roe stated as he also checked the clasps of his parachute.

At Roe's statement, Eliza abruptly stopped fussing over her parachute and stared at him with wide eyes. It was a shock that Roe could've clearly seen that she was nervous. Heck, she tried every possible way to hide how nervous she was. She didn't want the men to think that she was so nervous for the jump since men were to be strong and brave, while women were to be gentle and faint at heart. She wanted to prove Easy Company that she was strong and dauntless like any other man, but how could she, when she was shaking to the core about jumping. However, Roe's statement reassured her that being nervous was okay but it shouldn't hinder her from doing her duty. She was doing this jump for her family back at San Francisco and her brothers in Easy Company.

"Thank you, Eugene," Eliza replied with a kind smile that reached her eyes.

"How about you tell me how you got your necklace and I'll tell you somethin' about my hometown to take our minds off the jump."

So Eliza told him about the story of how she got the necklace she loved dearly, while Roe told her about his hometown, Bayou Chene, Louisiana.

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"Get ready! Stand up! Hook up!" The jump teacher shouted as 11 men of Easy Company and Eliza stood up from their seats and hooked their clasps onto the bar as they were taught.

"Check equipment!" The jump teacher again ordered and Easy Company followed suit, Eliza checked David Webster's equipment, while Albert Blithe checked hers. After the jump teacher then shouted,"Sound off for equipment check!"

The countdown soon began that would ultimately lead them to jump out of the plane. With each countdown, Eliza's nerves started to flare. To combat her anxiety, Eliza focused on the fact that she would become an official Paratrooper, fulfill her duty as Easy Company's medic, and the money she received would help support her family. With that in mind, her nerves ceased. When she felt a tap on her shoulder, Eliza shouted, " Six okay!"

When the countdown was over, they stood at the door and once the light turned green, the men started jumping out of the C-47 aircraft. When it was finally her turn, Eliza without hesitation jumped out. When she looked at the blue sky surrounding her, she was utterly amazed. In addition, the stunning green landscape below was a sight to see. In the midst of her falling, she pulled on the string that would release her parachute. Fortunately, her parachute was functioning properly, so everything went smoothly. As she neared the ground, Eliza properly landed the way she was specifically taught and removed her parachute from the clasps from her bag, with struggle since it was windy.

Around her, Eliza saw the other men of Easy safely landing or putting their parachutes back. She was thankful that her boys were safe and with a smile couldn't wait for the other four jumps.

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After completing five jumps, Easy Company was celebrating since they were now official paratroopers, proudly showcasing the insignia on their uniforms and caps. It was a well-deserving celebration with a game of darts, music for entertainment, and alcoholic beverages to drink away.

However, Eliza was standing near the door contemplating if she should join the men. She wasn't much for parties, but since it was a celebration for becoming a Paratrooper, she decided to come. Eliza was wearing her Class A uniform, but instead of trousers, she wore a skirt and black heels. Meanwhile, her hair was in a neat updo with her cap securely pinned and she wore red lipstick. From the ajar door, Eliza saw some of the men counting down as Guarnere gulped down his beer, while Perconte was showcasing his folded trousers to Martin, and Luz was handing a glass of beer to Toye.

"Aren't you going in?" The question shocked Eliza and placed her hand on her chest, to calm her beating heart. When Eliza turned around, it was Winters.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"No need to apologize, I know you mean no harm. I'm not sure if I want to go since I'm not one for partying or drinking."

"I also don't drink, but we do owe ourselves a celebration for becoming Paratroopers, especially since you've been promoted to Corporal." Winters saw the newly Technician-Fifth Grade chevrons on Eliza's uniform.

"Thank you, Dick. Let's go in then?" And Winters responded with a nod in agreement.

As Winters and Eliza entered, the men of Easy Company looked to the door to see who entered. When they that it was Eliza, the men were stunned since she actually looked like a dame for once, a really good-looking one. After a moment, the men catcalled and cheered causing the Eliza to blush.

"Damn Stardust, we forgot you were a nice looking dame!" Luz joked as he tended the bar.

"Why thank you, Luz." Eliza sarcastically replied with a smile, earning a smile back from Luz. He then asked if she wanted to a drink, but she declined.

"Well look at that Gonorrhea, Eliza doesn't drink. Doesn't that remind you of someone? " Toye commented to Guarnere as they both neared Eliza, who sat on one of the tables.

"Now that you mention it, Joe, she does remind me of that Quaker!" From Guarenere's response, both of the men laughed as Eliza shot them a glare. They were always finding some way to joke about her relationship with Winters. In her perspective, they were good friends. However, at the thought of only being friends, Eliza began to yearn for something more.

Meanwhile, Winters stood next to Nixon, who was helping himself to a drink. Winters was gazing at Eliza who was glaring at Toye and Guarnere. He had no clue why Eliza was glaring at the men, but he thought that she looked very beautiful in her uniform. It suited her really well. Of course, he wouldn't say it to her since he would become a blushing and stumbling mess. In addition, Nixon would joke about it endlessly. His thoughts were disrupted from a soldier's order.

"Ten-hut!" A soldier shouted to gather the company's attention that Colonel Sink and Lieutenant Colonel Strayer was present. From the order, everyone stopped what they were doing, and stood straight in formation.

"Well, at ease, paratroopers." Colonel Sink stated and continued with a greeting, "Good evening, Easy Company!"

"Evening, sir!" Easy Company replied back.

"Now, Parachute Infantry is a brand new concept in American military history. But by God, the 506 is gonna forge that brand new concept into victory!"

"Yes, sir!"

"I want you to know that I'm damn proud of each and every one of you. Now, you deserve this party." When Colonel Sink exclaimed this statement to Easy Company, he looked to several soldiers; among them was Eliza, who he gave a small smile and she gave him one as well. After his speech, Sergeant Chuck Grant went up to Colonel Sink and gave him a drink.

"So I want you to have fun, and remember our motto: Currahee!"

"Currahee!"

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Camp Mackall: 1943

A year had passed since Eliza joined Easy Company to be a medic. Over the course of the year, she faced harsh treatment from the men because they didn't think women would fit in the military. However, Eliza proved them wrong with her preserving strength. From that moment, she became the Stardust of Easy Company, in which the men had her back and she had theirs.

Currently, Eliza was in her bed, sitting in the dark with her back against the wall listening to the snores of her comrades. Even in the dark, she recognized each man in their bed, soundly asleep. However, on this specific night, she couldn't sleep because she missed her siblings and Jane. It was astonishing how quickly a year had passed by. From the letters they've sent, Evelyn stated how she was excited to go to college, since she recently graduated and how Daniel won a science contest at school, he was just like their father with the same love for science. In her recent letter, she expressed how proud she was and that she missed them dearly. Meanwhile, Jane told Eliza about a disastrous date and even asked if she could set her up with someone from Easy, which caused Eliza to laugh.

It saddened Eliza that she missed those significant moments, but it was a sacrifice she was willing to take so that she can provide for her family. As the night passed, her homesickness grew, so she did the only thing that she knew would bring her comfort - to look at the bright moon in the dark sky with the twinkling stars amongst its midst. Meanwhile, her siblings back at home were also looking at the bright moon and praying for her safety and swift return.

It was now in the afternoon and Easy Company was in a ditch observing sections of the forest for any signs of the enemy. The company was engaged in a simulation led by Captain Sobel, who had led them into a wrong position that would be easy for the enemy to attack. However, Captain Sobel was oblivious to that fact.

"Petty! Map! Come on!" Captain Sobel whispered and gestured his hand for Private Petty, the runner to bring the map.

"Oh, Christ..." Petty muttered as he grabbed the map from his bag and quickly walked to Captain Sobel.

After reviewing the map, Captain Sobel muttered, "We're in the wrong position," which was already evident to the men.

"We're textbook-position for ambush, sir. I think we should sit tight, let the enemy team come into our killing zone." Winters reasoned to Sobel, who was frantically searching for any signs that would pinpoint the location of the enemy.

"They're right out there somewhere. Let's just get them!" Sobel stated, ignoring Winters's reasonable plan.

"Sir, we have perfect cover here." Winter's tried to reason with Sobel once again, but from the strict look displayed on Sobel's face, he knew that his command was final.

Winters was right when Sobel sternly stated, "Lieutenant, deploy your troops."

And so Winters followed Captain Sobel's orders and muttered, "2nd Platoon, move out! Tactical column!"

Easy Company followed their Lieutenant's command, moving out of their cover. As they were on the move, the enemy team in camouflage sprang out of their cover, pointing their weapons at them.

A leader of the drill with a clipboard came up to Sobel and stated, "Captain, you've just been killed, along with 95% of your company. Your outfit?"

"Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506," Sobel muttered in disappointment.

"Leave three wounded men on the ground and report back to the assembly area." The leader of the drill commanded.

"Goddamn it... You, you, you." Sobel followed the order as he pointed to three men behind him.

At that moment, the men of Easy Company and Eliza solemnly realized that if Sobel were to lead them into battle, he would send them to their graves.

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 **A/N: Hey guys, I sincerely apologize for not updating for so long and updating shorter chapter since I'm busy with school. If you haven't notice, the story will also be tailored to the television series. Thank you so much for reading!**

 ***Edited on May 26, 2018.**


	6. Into New Territories

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Band of Brothers and the images I used, just my characters and story. In addition, I meant no disrespect to the real soldiers of Easy Company and I apologize for any mistakes whether it be historical inaccuracies or punctuation/grammar.

Thank you carolinagirl123, lilygreennie, LeesFreak112, lillajag11, DayDreamer2319, allstarcheergirl, Lina1998, and miyukikobayashi751 for following and favoring!

And thank you nizem8 for reviewing!

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Camp Mackall, 1943

Days have passed since Easy Company failed the simulation due to Captain Sovel. From this incident, Easy Company were worried that if Captain Sobel would lead them into the damn war, they would surely die quickly in the hands of the enemy.

Meanwhile, in the barracks, Lieutenants Nixon and Winters were discussing the future of Easy Company.

"What are you gonna do?" Nixon asked as he was packing since they were moving out.

"Nothing, just keep training the men," Winters answered back as he rummaged through a box.

"Am I interrupting?" Lieutenant Welsh exclaimed as he entered, making his presence known to the Lieutenants.

"No, no. Lieutenant Lewis Nixon, Lieutenant Harry Welsh, just in from the 82nd," Winters stated as he introduced both men to each other.

"Congratulations on the promotion," Welsh stated as he shook the hands of Nixon.

"Thanks, if you wanna call it that. You'll learn him pretty quickly. No flaws, no vices, no sense of humor," Nixon answered back with a small smile.

"Just like your chums up at Battalion staff?" Winters cleverly replied back.

"What's up?"

"I'm hearing a lot of rumblings."

"Sobel? We were just talking about that."

"So, he gets a little jumpy in the field?"

"He gets jumpy and then you get killed."

"That's nice…"

"Yeah, listen, if we discuss it, I think it should be just amongst ourselves."

"Oh, absolutely."

"What are you guys talking about?" Eliza suddenly voiced at the end of the conversation, surprising the Lieutenants. From their expressions, Eliza sheepishly smiled since she knew that her voice startled them.

"Jesus Christ, Eliza, next time knock on the goddamn door," Nixon replied back.

"Maybe next time, close the door when you're talking about something you don't want others to hear, " Eliza sassed back as she pointed to the door that was wide open.

"Since you're already here, Eliza meet Lieutenant Welsh from the 82nd," Winters stated as Welsh raised his hand for a handshake.

"It's nice to meet you, Lieutenant Welsh," Eliza greeted as she shook his hand with a smile.

"Likewise, Corporal Clark." Welsh couldn't help but smile back at her.

"Well, I just wanted to stop by to personally congratulate Lieutenant Nixon, but I saw that he was preoccupied, so I'll be on my way. But it was nice meeting you Lieutenant Welsh," Eliza waved good-bye and left the Lieutenants to finish their conversation.

"She's something, ain't she?" Welsh commented as Eliza left the barrack.

"Yes, she is," Winters replied back with a smile, while Nixon looked at Winters with a smirk.

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Brooklyn Naval Shipyard, 1943

After a long train ride, Easy Company was on their way to board a ship that would take them to Europe, where they would further train and fight against enemy lines. At the shipyard, Eliza was astounded at the sight of many soldiers entering towering ships and large machines heaving trucks onto the ships. After admiring the view, Eliza settled down and administered motion sickness pills with the other medics.

When her task was complete, Eliza joined several of the men in her company as they looked at the Statue of Liberty, a monument the company would last see as they drifted away from home. As her gaze remained on the Statue of Liberty, Eliza was elated that a nation in which men had become the dominant gender, it was a female that proudly stood on the New York Harbor representing the nation.

Several hours had passed and Eliza was laying in her cot, reading her favorite novel while listening to the men's conversation.

"Right now, some lucky bastard's headed for the South Pacific. He's gonna get billeted on some tropical island, sit under a palm tree with six naked native girls, helping him cut up coconuts, so he can hand-feed them to the flamingos."

"Flamingos are mean, they bite."

"So do the naked native girls."

"With any luck."

"Hey, guys, I'm glad I'm going to Europe. Hitler gets one of these right across the windpipe, Roosevelt changes Thanksgiving to Joe Toye Day and pays me $10,000 a year for the rest of my fucking life."

"What if we don't get to Europe? What if they send us to North Africa?"

"My brother's in North Africa, he says it's hot."

"Really? It's hot in Africa?"

"Shut up. Point is, it doesn't matter where we go. Once we get into combat, the only person you can trust is yourself and the fellow next to you."

"Hey, long as he's a paratrooper."

"Oh yeah? What if that paratrooper turns out to be Sobel?"

"If I'm next to Sobel in combat, I'm moving on down the line. Hook up with some other officer, like Heyliger or Winters."

"I like Winters, he's a good man. But when the bullets start flying, I don't know if I want a Quaker doing my fighting for me."

"How do you know he's a Quaker?"

"He ain't Catholic."

At the mention of Winters, Eliza smiled since she agreed with Guarnere that Winters was indeed a good man. However, the cynical response from Guarnere made her smile disappear.

"Bill, just because Winters ain't Catholic, you can't assume he's a Quaker" Eliza stated with a frown.

"Hey, now you're talking, but I'm not surprised since you're defending Winters, " Guarnere stated with a smirk.

To remove that smirk from his face, Eliza threw one of her pillows at Guarnere's face as he stood up, gaining laughs from the men.

"Neither is Sobel."

"That prick's a son of Abraham."

"He's what?"

"He's a Jew."

From Guarnere's comment, Eliza knew a fight would erupt as Liebgott who was sitting in his cot, quickly got up and went to face Guarnere.

"Fuck... I'm a Jew."

"Congratulations. Get your nose out of my face."

And so Liebgott and Guarnere fought while the men and Eliza tried hopelessly to end it before they were caught by any superior officers.

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Hours passed since the fight, which ultimately ended when the other men were able to separate Liebgott and Guarnere, while Eliza scolded both men for their reckless behavior and patched their wounds.

It was late in the night and just like most night, Eliza couldn't sleep. As she laid in her bed, hearing the snores and shuffles of the men, Eliza decided that some quietness would help her ease to sleep. So as humanly possible, Eliza quietly climbed down from her bed and headed out to the deck of the ship.

When she reached the railings of the deck, Eliza relaxed in the quietness of the night and the cool wind gently brushing her hair. The bright moon and stars cast a glowing light onto the rocking waves of the ocean. As she gazed upon the stars, a voice suddenly broke her reverie.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" Winters asked as he neared Eliza, who had her arms resting on the railings.

"I know but I couldn't fall asleep, so I decided to gaze at the stars," Eliza answered as she diverted her attention to Winters as he looked up to the night sky.

"Well I can't blame you, it is beautiful," Winters continued the conversation.

"Yeah, it is."

However, Eliza wasn't looking at the stars when she answered. Eliza was looking at the red-haired man next to her, who would eventually be the cause of her sleepless nights.

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 **A/N:Hey everyone, I finally updated! Sorry if this chapter is shorter than previous chapters, but it mainly served as a filler. However, I do hope you enjoy reading it!**

 **Edited on May 26, 2018**


	7. Under the Starlights

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Band of Brothers and the images I used, just my characters and story. In addition, I meant no disrespect to the real soldiers of Easy Company and I apologize for any mistakes whether it be historical inaccuracies or punctuation/grammar.

Thank you MariaM95, xXFallenSakuraXx52, Grunt Lord Ryan, EriesAston, lyona5, InfinityMars, Sabrina Colt, snoowbunnie,Forgive Me If I Stare, JosieoftheRose, ANIMEFAN426, JuniKitty4427, .Angel27, and halflings for favoring, following, and reviewing!

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Aldbourne, England: 1943

After a long ride on the crowded ship, Eliza released a breath of relief since she was able to move freely without bumping into anyone or lose her balance, the moment the ship would sharply pivot. When Eliza first stepped onto the small town of Aldbourne, she was amazed at the breathtaking sight. With its quaint styled cottages and buildings surrounded by evergreen forests and fields, the village immediately captured Eliza's heart. Furthermore, the cold fog that would be ever present was Eliza's favorite weather because it was just like San Francisco.

After gazing at the picturesque town, Eliza was brought back from reverie as she felt someone collide with her shoulder. As she looked, Eliza saw that it was Liebgott. And with a smile, Eliza apologized.

"Got your head stuck in the clouds, again?" Liebgott asked with a smirk.

"I can't help it, Joe, the town is beautiful," Eliza sheepishly answered.

"Well, we better find the homes we're quartering in, what street are ya on?" Liebgott asked.

"Oxford Street. How about you?" Eliza answered as she looked onto the paper that held the address, she would be living in for a year.

"Hey, look at that! We're on the same street," Liebgott replied back as he smiled, glad to live near his friend.

After the duo found the house that Liebgott was assigned, Eliza walked pass a couple more houses until she stopped at a pleasantly cozy cottage with a beautiful garden filled with flowers of many colors surrounding the entrance. Before knocking on the door, Eliza looked at the piece of paper in her hand, to make sure that she was at the right address. Once Eliza saw that she was at the right place, she quickly walked to the door and knocked several times.

"Dear, I'll get the door. It must be the soldier that will reside with us." Behind the closed door, Eliza heard the muffled British voice of a female.

After several minutes of waiting, the door was open by a blonde middle-aged woman. With a stunned expression, she whispered in horror, "Anne."

"Sorry to disturb you Miss, but my name is Eliza Clark. I'm the American soldier that will be quartering in your house," Eliza answered, however, the woman stood still, fixated on Eliza's face.

"Darling is there something wrong?" A man with graying brown hair and green eyes neared the doorway, curious to why his wife was taking so long. As he went to the front door, he saw that his wife was stricken with despair. But when he looked at the soldier, he knew the reason why.

"Hello, I do apologize for my wife's behavior. Please enter, you must be so tired from your journey." The man had gently moved his wife to the side, to allow Eliza to enter.

"Thank you, sir." Eliza entered while hauling her duffle bag onto her shoulder.

"Let me help you with that." The man continued, grabbing her bag and Eliza smiled in gratitude. However, the man sadly smiled back. Meanwhile, his wife had recovered from her daze and spoke to Eliza.

"I apologize for my behavior, while my husband places your things in your room, would you like some tea?" The blonde woman asked as they entered the small living room.

"That would be nice, thank you," Eliza tiredly stated as she sat down, while the blonde woman went to the kitchen to prepare the tea.

"Oh how forgetful we are becoming, you must not know our names. My name is George Watson." Mr. Watson exclaimed as he neared the living room, after fixing Eliza's room.

"And I am Margaret Watson. It's nice to meet you." Mrs. Watson stated as she placed the tea with biscuits on the coffee table.

"The pleasure is also mine, Mr. and Mrs. Watson. These biscuits are delicious." Eliza replied after taking a bite of a biscuit. From her statement, the couple laughed, glad that their baked treats were still delectable even due to rationing.

"I'm glad you enjoyed these biscuits, especially since I am the town's baker." Mr. Watson answered with pride.

"Thank you so much, Mr. and Mrs. Watson. Not only for the delicious biscuits but the kind hospitality as well." Eliza voiced after finishing her drink and biscuits.

"It is not a problem at all. However, we should be thanking you for your service as you help us win this damn war," Mrs. Watson sincerely replied.

"Corporal Clark, you must be tired, I'll show you to your room." Mr. Watson stated, as Eliza rose up and smiled her thanks to Mrs. Watson.

As she walked up the stairs, Eliza saw the many pictures of the couple with their children, a blonde-haired boy, and a brown-haired girl who must have now been around Eliza's age. Once they reached her room, it was clear that Eliza was occupying their daughter's room since it was very feminine.

"Oh Mr. Watson, you can simply call me Eliza," Eliza uttered before Mr. Watson left.

"Okay, Eliza. But do call us, if you need anything else." Mr. Watson responded as he descended the stairs.

When Mr. Watson entered the kitchen, he saw his wife cleaning up the dishes. From his presence, Mrs. Watson looked at her husband and with much despair stated, "She's just like her, in appearance and mannerism."

"I know darling," Mr. Watson replied with the same amount of sadness.

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When Mr. Watson left, Eliza took a closer inspection of the room. The walls painted with a lovely cream color accenting the antique dark brown furniture. At the corner of the room, was a vanity that held family pictures and cosmetics. When curiosity got the best of her, Eliza sat down on the seat and took a closer look at the photos, in which many consisted of the Watson family all cheerily. However, one particular picture caught Eliza's attention. It was a picture of the Watson's daughter, all grown and wearing her nurse uniform. As Eliza's gazed on the photo, a light bulb had turned on in her mind, as she realized that Mrs. Watson reacted to the way she did earlier was because Eliza looked exactly like her daughter. However, what puzzled Eliza was Mrs. Watson's expression of sorrow. Due to her tiredness, Eliza didn't ponder it further as she needed to place her things away and rest.

After her nap, Eliza looked at the clock on the bedside table and saw that it was 5:30 in the evening. Grudgingly getting up, Eliza fixed her appearance and went down to help Mrs. Watson prepare dinner. As she reached the kitchen, Eliza saw Mrs. Watson busily stirring a pot of stew.

"Do you need any assistance ?" Eliza asked.

"Oh no dear, you're a guest in this house, it would be impolite to ask you to work." Mrs. Watson answered as she added some seasoning.

"I insist, Mrs. Watson. I can help you cut these potatoes."

"Oh, alright. The knife is in the drawer to your right."

After grabbing the knife, Eliza started to peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes. As she was chopping, with a sad smile," Pardon for being so straightforward, but you remind me of my daughter, Anne."

"Well, I can tell from her pictures that I look like her. If you don't mind me asking, where is Anne?"

"She is not here with us anymore. My precious Anne was a nurse and decided to help with the patients wounded from the London Blitz. Unfortunately, she died from a bomb explosion, " Mrs. Watson solemnly expressed, as she continued to stir the stew.

"I'm sorry for your lost, Anne was very brave to aid those injured from the bombings," Eliza stated with a smile, while she added the diced potatoes in the stew.

"Thank you for your kind words. It's hard as a parent to see their children leave; I've lost my daughter to the war and my son, George is far from home, in harm's way as he fights in the infantry division."

"I may not know your sufferings as a parent, but I do know how painful it was to lose my mother and to leave my siblings so that I can provide for them as being a medic for this damn war."

"Oh dear, fate has been very cruel to us." Mrs. Watson sadly stated as she patted Eliza's hand in comfort.

And with great revere, the two women in the kitchen understood each other's pain of losing someone as a mother who lost her child and a child who lost her mother.

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Several weeks passed by and Eliza was enjoying her stay in Aldbourne. Even though the training was difficult, she gained more knowledge in basic combat, weaponry (in case the need arose), and tactical strategies. In addition to her training as a paratrooper, Eliza also struggled through more lectures and practicals for medic training.

In her spare times, which was mainly in the evenings, Eliza would help Mr. Watson in the bakery by stocking the store with the rationings and prepare the ingredients for baking in the morning. As a reward for her help, Mr. Watson would show Eliza how to bake some of the specialties in the bakery. With the extra muffins, scones, and other baked pastries, Eliza would secretly gift it to the men after training. Meanwhile, Eliza's relationship with Mrs. Watson grew as they shared stories about their family while completing household chores. As Mrs. Watson saw her daughter in Eliza, Eliza grew to see her mother in Mrs. Watson.

In addition to helping in the bakery, Eliza found a beautifully secluded field at the outskirt of town during one of her explorations, which she would spend her time laying in the green grass filled with colorful flowers that bloomed in the cold Aldbourne weather. The field was most beautiful at the rare moments of sunny weather with the sunshine accenting the vibrate colors of the flowers and during the night when the moon and stars would cast a lovely glow onto the field. It was during these moments when Eliza would be able to relax, read the letters her siblings and Jane wrote to her in private, and write back describing in detail how much Aldbourne was a stunning town which she hoped they would have a chance to see.

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Since Easy Company's training was advancing, strategic simulations became more common as to place in practice the tactics they've learned from Colonel Sink. Unfortunately, Eliza was currently practicing a simulation with First Platoon which was led by Captain Sobel, who had no idea where he was leading the platoon. Running in an open area of the terrain, Captain Sobel stopped the platoon as they neared a fence.

"Why is there a fence here? There should be no fence here. Tipper!" Sobel shouted with unease.

"Yes, sir?" Private Tipper answered.

"Give me the map." And so, Tipper handed the map, knowing that Sobel had no clue where they were.

"Perconte. Luz. Get the men. Take cover behind those trees!"

"All right, let's go. Move it out, fellas," Luz shouted as First Platoon followed orders and hid behind the trees. Meanwhile, Sobel, Evans, and Tipper were figuring out their next move.

"There should be no... There should be no fence here," Sobel stated as he pointed on the map.

"Uh, we could go over it, sir," Evans suggested as he stared at the map in Sobel's hand.

"Really? That's not the point! Where the goddamn-where the goddamn hell are we?" Sobel continued, shouting and anxiously looking at the map.

As First Platoon was behind the bushes, Eliza and the men knew that Captain Sobel was lost again since it was clear from his distress.

"Perconte?" Sisk asked, gaining Perconte's attention.

"Yeah?" Perconte responded.

"Sobel's lost again, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he's lost."

"Fucking Christ."

"Hey, Luz! Can you do Major Horton?"

At Perconte's request, Eliza gave him a strange look as she pondered why he would ask at such a time like this.

"Does a wild bear crap in the woods, son?" Luz stated while imitating Major Horton.

"Maybe the good major can goose this schmuck, get us moving?" Perconte stated, bringing light to Eliza's question.

"No, no way. I'm not gonna-" Luz answered as the men and Eliza huddled around him.

"Oh yeah! Luz, you gotta! Come on." Muck encouraged, while Luz was contemplating if the benefits outweighed the consequences of his imitation. He looked at Eliza since she was the voice of reason in the company.

"Well, at least it will make Captain Sobel move so we'll be able to catch up with Second Platoon," Eliza stated with a small smile, while the men muttered in agreement.

And at Eliza's response, Luz agreed, "All right, just this once. Shhh!"

"356, 833... Isn't that the intersection?" Sobel muttered as he scanned the map.

"No, sir, it's here. You're a full grid off." Tipper annoyingly answered.

"Goddamnit."

"Is there a problem, Captain Sobel?" Luz exclaimed, perfectly imitating Major Horton.

"Who said that? Who broke silence?"

"I think it's Major Horton, sir."

"Major Horton? What is he, Did he join us?"

"I think, maybe he's moving between the platoons, sir?"

"What is the goddamn hold-up, Mr. Sobel?"

"A fence, sir, a - God! A barbed-wire fence, sir!"

"Oh, that dog just ain't gonna hunt!"

"Shut up!" Luz whispered to the men and Eliza as they laughed loudly.

"Now, you cut that fence and get this goddamn platoon on the move!"

"Yes, sir! "Where are my goddamn wire-cutters?"

As they waited for Captain Sobel to cut the barbed-wire fence, Eliza praised Luz's impression of Major Horton and helping them move, instead of waiting for Sobel like sitting ducks.

"Well, Luz, that might have been one of your finest performance," Eliza expressed with a laugh.

"Of course, Stardust, I am the best after all." Luz smugly stated while tipping his helmet to Eliza, who laughed more.

Meanwhile, Second Platoon waited anxiously for First Platoon to arrive as they hid behind a brick wall covered in vines. As more minutes passed by, Winters decided to move on without First Platoon.

"We have to move," Winters quietly whispered to Lipton.

"Sir, without Captain Sobel and First Platoon?"

"It's a T-intersection, we improvise. Double envelopment, lay down a base of fire to cut the road in all directions, hook right with First Squad. Tell Guarnere to move left with Second. I'll be right in the middle with Third. Go."

After signaling the squads on what to do, Winters and First Platoon moved out of their covers and crossed the concrete path, going into cover within the dark greenery. As Winters traveled along the crossway, he stopped when a gray-haired man got off his bicycle and raised his arms.

"You've done it now, Yanks. You've captured me." The man stated, in which Winters smiled and checked his watch. Not far along, Captain Sobel and Second Platoon ran the opposite track.

"Hi-yo, Silver!" Sobel shouted, alerting Winters and the elder man.

"Would that be the enemy?" The man questioned.

"As a matter of fact, yes," Winters answered and tipped his helmet, while the man smiled at him.

As First Platoon neared Second Platoon, Eliza saw Winters talking to Mr. Wright, who was a regular at the bakery of Mr. Watson. Quickly, Eliza ran to greet them.

"Hello, Mr. Smith and Lieutenant Winters." At her greeting, the pair smiled.

"Hello dear, if it is not a problem, can you tell Mr. Watson that I will visit the bakery later in the day to pick up a delivery."

"Will do sir. It was nice seeing you, Mr. Smith."

"Of course, well I will see you later. And it was nice meeting you, young man. Oh, and Eliza dear, you both would make a lovely couple." Mr. Smith whispered the last part of his sentence to Eliza and rode away smiling from the couple, as he knew the lovely young lady he met from Mr. Watson's bakery would surely blush. However, it wasn't a joke because the look between Eliza and Winters was the same look Mr. Smith had for his wife.

And Mr. Smith had been right when Eliza began to blush, alerting Winters.

"Are you okay, Eliza?" Winters asked

"I'm okay. It must be the cold weather," Eliza lied as she would not tell Winters what Mr. Smith had told her, in any circumstance.

"Well, we better hurry."

And so the pair ran to their respective platoon.

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Several days after the tactical stimulation, Eliza was currently helping Mr. Watson carry some flour into the bakery. When her task was complete, Mr. Watson gave Eliza a basket of extra muffins and various pastries from the morning. With the basket in her hands, Eliza made her routine to find the men and give them the delicious treats. As she walked the various roads, Eliza was greeted by many of the people, since most of them were regulars at Mr. Watson's bakery. At first, many of the town folks were surprised that an American female was serving directly in the war. However, as time passed, the people got used to Eliza's friendly demeanor. At the end of a street, Eliza saw some of the men playing basketball. As she neared them, Randleman was the first to notice her and stopped the game, slowly the rest of the men turned their head to see what caused Randleman to end the game. When they saw it was Eliza with a brown basket in her hands, they smiled.

"Hey Stardust, what'cha got in yer hand?"

"Hello Bull, I just got from the bakery, so I have some muffins and pastries that Mr. Watson and I baked."

"You're a godsend, Stardust," Malarkey stated as he and the men ran to grab a baked treat.

"Thanks, Don, but it's mostly Mr. Watson that bakes, so you should all thank him."

At her statement, the men nodded since their filled mouths of delightful pastries hindered them from speaking. Fortunately, the men finished eating their treats and Eliza hid the basket when Sergeant Evans stopped his jeep in front of them. As Evans walked towards Nixon and Winters who were across the street, Eliza picked up her basket and bid the men goodbye. Eliza made her way towards the pair, while Sergeant Evans rode away in his jeep.

"Oh, for crying out loud..." Winters annoyingly muttered under his breath.

"Misspelled court-martial," Nixon pointed out as he red the letter in Winters's hand.

At her statement, the men nodded since their filled mouths of delightful pastries hindered them from speaking. Fortunately, the men finished eating their treats and Eliza hid the basket when Sergeant Evans stopped his jeep in front of them. As Evans walked towards Nixon and Winters who were across the street, Eliza picked up her basket and bid the men goodbye. Eliza made her way towards the pair, while Sergeant Evans rode away in his jeep.

"Oh, for crying out loud..." Winters annoyingly muttered under his breath.

"Misspelled court-martial," Nixon pointed out as he red the letter in Winters's hand.

"Court-Martial?" Eliza worryingly exclaimed, alerting the two men of her presence.

"Captain Sobel is punishing Dick for not completing orders, but he can appeal and request a trial by court-martial," Nixon stated with annoyance.

"That pretentious ass," Eliza muttered angrily. However, both men heard Eliza and smiled as they agreed with her.

"You're going to appeal, right?" Eliza asked Winters since she knew it was the right thing to do, as the red-haired man in front of him was not in any fault.

"Yes."

From Winters's answer, Eliza gave him a reassuring smile and handed him a chocolate croissant as she stated, "Good Luck, Dick."

"Thank You, Eliza."

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The news that Winters was working in Battalion Mess, while his trial was under review, spread quickly. From this, Easy Company became anxious since they lost a great leader and left with Captain Sobel, who didn't even know how to read a map. Since their lives depended on their leader, the NCO's of Easy decided to resign, knowing that their punishment would be death.

"So we're going through with this, right?" Grant solemnly expressed to the men around them as they sat on a bench hidden in a barn.

"We gotta do something," Ranney responded.

"Yeah," Lipton and Grant muttered.

"All right. Good. But we all better be clear of the consequences," Lipton whispered as he looked at every NCO sitting on the bench with him.

"I don't care about the consequences." Martin seriously exclaimed.

"John, we could be lined up against a wall and shot. Now, I'm ready to face that. And every one of us had better be too."

After Lipton's statement, the men were alerted to Eliza's presence as she bolted to the front doors, huffing since she ran to find the NCO's.

"I thought it was a rumor, but you're all doing it. Do you idiots know that they'll kill you if you step down?" Eliza angrily exclaimed.

"I will not follow that man into combat." Guarnere firmly stated to Eliza.

"Me neither," Bull continued, affirming every NCO's act of defiance.

"Huh, I guess nothing will stop you. Good luck." Eliza sadly whispered and smiled to each man for their bravery. As she left the NCOs to their own, Eliza prayed that the men wouldn't die for their act of courage.

"All right. Then let's do it." Lipton stated, and so the NCO's wrote their letter of resignations.

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Not long after the NCO's submitted their resignation letters, they were called into Colonel Sink's office to await their punishment. Fortunately, Sergeant Ranney was busted down to private, while Sergeant Harries transferred out of Easy Company. The luck of Easy Company continued as Captain Sobel, by orders of Colonel Sink, was reassigned to a parachute school in Chilton Foliat, to train non-combat officers. To replace Captain Sobel was Lieutenant Thomas Meehan of Baker Company, who proved to be a great leader to Easy and was much accepting of Eliza as a female serving in the war.

Unfortunately, luck does not last, as Easy Company was nearing the end of their training at Aldbourne and would soon jump into war. To thank the American soldiers and bid a farewell, the people of Aldbourne decided to throw a celebration in the town's dancing hall, with great drinks and music.

Eliza was preparing for the celebration since the majority of Easy forced her to come. Grudgingly, Eliza was putting on her Class A uniform, when a knock on the door scared her. Calming her nerves and finishing buttoning her white blouse, Eliza opened the door to see Mrs. Watson smiling and holding a white box.

"Oh hello Mrs. Watson, how can I help you?"

"Hello dear, I just wanted to ask if you are going to the dancing hall for the celebration?" Mrs. Watson asked while entering her daughter's room.

"Unfortunately, I am."

"Dear, you don't seem like you want to go."

"I'm not one to party, drink, or dance. But I was forced to by my comrades to join since I've rarely been spending time with them."

"Well, since you're going, I've brought you a dress that you can wear instead of your dreadful uniform."

"Oh thank you, Mrs. Watson, but I cannot wear the dress since I would break protocol."

"This was Anne's favorite dress. She never had the chance to wear it since she was reserving it for a special occasion. It would be splendid if you were able to wear it, especially for the celebration."

Mrs. Watson then removed the cover of the white box and the protective wrapping, revealing a beautiful sage dress covered in delicate white lace. Seeing the dress, reminded Eliza of her mother since she owned something similar, which she frequently would wear when she went out with her father.

"Oh, it's beautiful," Eliza whispered as she gazed at the dress in awe.

"Well, hurry and change into it," Mrs. Watson exclaimed in excitement, while she placed the dress in Eliza's arms and pushed her into the changing screen.

After changing into the dress, Eliza timidly stepped out of the screen and saw in the mirror, how the dress perfectly fitted her. The green lace dress stopped at the mid of her calves, which allowed her to dance the night away without any worries and the bateau neckline flawlessly showed her necklace off. Furthermore, the light shade of sage beautifully accented her green eyes.

"It looks amazing. You must wear it."

"Sadly, I cannot Mrs. Watson, plus I don't want to ruin such a pretty dress."

"Dear, don't worry so much about the rules and no one will notice you since you'll blend right well with the other women."

"Oh, alright."

"Wonderful! Now let's do your hair and makeup."

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After getting ready, Eliza entered the dancing hall, crowded with both soldiers and towns folks. Many were dancing to jazz played by the local musicians, while others were chatting or drinking the night away. As she walked around, Eliza spotted some of the men at a table, drinking. At her presence, the men hooted and cheered that she was finally here to celebrate.

"Hey, Eliza's finally here and looking like Rita Hayworth!" Muck exclaimed while the men cheered in agreement.

"Damn right she is!" Luz also declared, causing Eliza to smile and laugh.

"Not that I'm complaining, but why aren't you in uniform?" Guarnere questioned.

"Mrs. Watson insisted that I wear this dress, instead of my uniform for tonight's celebration," Eliza answered as she sat down with the men.

"Well, we have to thank Mrs. Watson that she forced you to wear the dress, but anyway want to dance?" Malarkey asked as he reached for her hand.

"Don, I don't know how to dance," Eliza stated as her face grew red with embarrassment.

"Not a problem, I'll show ya how." And so, Malarkey dragged Eliza to the dance floor, teaching her some moves but telling her that moving to the rhythm of the music was important. After stepping on Malarkey's foot several times, Eliza got the hang of it and continued to dance with the other men of Easy.

Meanwhile across the hall, Winters and Nixon were watching the celebration with great joy, especially for Winters as he saw Eliza wearing a beautiful dress, while she danced her worries away. As Nixon took a sip of his drink, he looked at Winters seeing that his friend had fallen for Eliza.

With a smirk, Nixon asked, "Why don't you ask her for a dance?"

"She's probably tired by now, plus it's already late. I'll see you in the morning."

"Alright, but you just missed an opportunity."

As Winters left the dance hall, Eliza also retired for the night since her feet were aching with all the dancing, she was a tired mess. As she walked in the cold night, Eliza spotted Winters not far along and called out to him.

"Hey, Dick wait up!"

"Hi, Eliza. I thought you were still at the dance hall."

"I was, but I got tired from all the dancing. I didn't notice you were there."

"Oh, I was sitting across with Nix, while he drank."

"Well, since I wasn't able to dance with you, will you accompany me to go somewhere private?"

"Eliza, it's already late. You should be heading home."

"Just this once, Dick."

"Okay."

And that "okay" was all Eliza needed to take Winters's to the outskirt of the town, to her favorite place. When the couple reached the field, Eliza started unclasping her shoes.

"Eliza, what are we doing here?"

"It's my favorite place in this town, and I didn't get a chance to dance with you, so may I have this dance?" Eliza jokingly questioned.

"Of course my lady, but we don't have any music to dance to," Winters responded, joining in on the joke.

"That will not be a problem because I sing better than I dance."

And so, the couple danced under the starlights in the vast field while Eliza sang,

" _Hold me close and hold me fast_

 _The magic spell you case_

 _This is La Vie En Rose…"_

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 **A/N: I apologize again for a long hiatus since I was busy with school. So as a gift for your patience, I've written a long chapter even though I've been easing myself back to writing. Also, I know the English version of La Vie En Rose was released around the 50's. However, I couldn't help but use it as the centralized piece for this story. Fortunately, regular posting schedule (weekly) will resume since it's the summer and I'm not taking any summer classes. Thanks for reading!**


	8. Into War

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Band of Brothers and the images I used, just my characters and story. In addition, I meant no disrespect to the real soldiers of Easy Company and I apologize for any mistakes whether it be historical inaccuracies or punctuation/grammar.

Thank you kirara888, Trodd, and Live and Love16 for following and favoring!

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Aldbourne, England: 1943

It was past midnight when Eliza arrived at the Watson's cottage after a night filled with music, drinks, and dancing. Eliza had the time of her life, celebrating with her comrades and the people of Aldbourne since she rarely had the chance to have fun back at home, being preoccupied with taking care of her family. However, what made this particular night so precious to Eliza was dancing with Winters. The night filled with the bright stars beneath them cast a beautiful glow, while a breeze swayed along them as they dance to the tune of Eliza's angelic voice. With her mind replaying the scene, Eliza realized that she has fallen for Winters. Falling in love would result in most women being relieved to acknowledge such a deep affection they have for someone. However, Eliza was not just any woman, since at a time of war, falling in love would be severely agonizing. With a sigh, Eliza made her mind to suppress her feelings, hoping to disappear. Oh, how fate was cruel to Eliza, since how can someone love a soldier, for fear of their untimely death at the hands of the enemy.

Eliza wasn't the only one to discover her feelings that particular night. After dropping her off, Winters walked alone in the silence of the night. During his trek, Winters couldn't help but think about the brown-haired medic that captured his heart. The moment that Eliza stepped into the hall, looking so lovely in her dress made Winters realized that she was the woman he only had eyes on, for no women in that dance hall would compare to her beauty and grace. It would be a lie if Winters admitted that he wasn't jealous at seeing Eliza dancing and having fun with the men. Though, Winters felt so damn lucky to be the man to dance with Eliza in the field because dancing under the stars with her left him breathless for her beauty shines among the stars. Not only was Eliza gorgeous, but her kindness and strong-willed personality made Winters fall in love with her even more. However, Winters knew that he couldn't accept his feelings since as a lieutenant, he couldn't have any attachments to his comrades. With a sigh, Winters continued his walk, damning fate for having to fallen for Eliza in the midst of war.

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Easy Company's stay in Aldbourne soon came to an end. Eliza was currently packing her belongings away, saddened that she would have to leave Aldbourne. She would miss the picturesque cottages surrounded by the greenery landscape, the nice townsfolk that would always nicely greet her, and the field that promptly became her haven. But most of all, Eliza would miss Mr. Watson, who would kindly make her delicious pastries and Mrs. Watson, who became a mother figure to her.

When Eliza finished packing, she went downstairs to say goodbye to the Mr. and Mrs. Watson. As she neared the last steps, Eliza saw the couple at the front door, with Mr. Watson's arms around Mrs. Watson's shoulders, comforting her as she wiped her tears. With a smile, Eliza quickly went to hug the couple who had kindly taken care of her. At first, the Watsons were surprised by her action but immediately reciprocated, as it may be the last time they saw the woman they've grown to see as a daughter.

"Thank you so much for your kindness and hospitality," Eliza stated after hugging the couple.

"You're very welcome, Eliza. Be very careful out there," Mr. Watson stated with a sad smile, which Eliza nodded in gratitude.

"My dear, may God watch over you. I've lost my daughter to this damn war, and I do not want to lose another one," Mrs. Watson expressed with tears rolling down her face. At the sight of her tears, Eliza couldn't help for her eyes to water.

With a final hug and goodbye, Eliza walked away from the cozy cottage that became her home for a year, and into a jeep that drove her away from the town that stole her heart.

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Upottery, England: 1944

Two full years of severe training had quickly gone by, and Easy Company settled in another English town, Upottery. During their stay, Easy gained another comrade, Lynn "Buck" Compton, who became an assistant leader for Second Platoon. Everyone in Easy grew to befriend Compton, especially Eliza as they became acquainted through Guarnere and Toye and their friendship grew due to their love of baseball. Meanwhile, the lieutenants rigorously taught Easy their objectives, which Eliza and the men were currently listening to a lecture from Lieutenant Meehan.

"-Linking Omaha and Utah into one continuous beach-head. Each trooper will learn this operation by heart and know his and every other outfit's mission to the detail." Meehan exclaimed.

"Lieutenant Meehan?"

"Yes, Dukeman?"

"Sir, are we dropping tonight?" Dukeman asked a question that was all in the minds of Easy's soldiers.

"When it is time for you to know, we'll let you know. In the meantime, study these sand tables, maps, and recon photos until you can draw a map of the area by memory. Now, we will drop behind this Atlantic Wall five hours before the 4th Infantry lands at Utah. Between our assembly area and the Battalion's objective, there is a German garrison. Right here in this area, Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. Easy Company will destroy that garrison."

Several days have passed, and the moment had finally arrived for Easy Company to jump. Eliza was busy packing her medical pouches with dressings, sulfur, morphine, and other necessary materials. Meanwhile, Perconte and Toye who occupied both spaces beside her were busy packing their weapons and rations.

"Three-day supply of K-rations, chocolate bars, candy, powdered coffee, sugar, matches, compass, bayonet, trenching-tool, ammunition, gas mask, musette bag with ammo, my webbing, my 45, canteen, two cartons of smokes, Hawkins mine, two grenades, smoke grenade, Gammon grenade, TNT, this bullshit, and a pair of nasty skivvies!" Toye shouted while throwing his skivvies, scaring the crap out of Eliza since she was preoccupied, making sure she had a decent amount of supplies.

"What's your point?" Perconte asked while Eliza glared at Toye.

"God! This stuff weighs as much as I do! I still got my chute, my reserve-chute, my Mae West and my M-1!"

"Where are you keeping the brass knuckles?"

"I could use some brass knuckles..."

"Hey Toye, you can have mine," Eliza stated as she threw a pair of brass knuckles to him.

"Where'd ya get these?"

"Just found them laying out, plus you would have more use of it than me."

"Thanks, Stardust."

As they continued to pack, Private West shouted the names of Easy's men, to deliver letters and packages.

"Sergeant Martin!"

"Hey, Vest, anything for me?" Toye asked when West neared them.

"Nope, but Eliza does." After a minute of ruffling through the many envelopes, West handed Eliza two letters.

"Thanks, West." With a smile, West continued his way to deliver the rest of the mail.

"Who are those from?" Toye asked as he finished packing his gear.

"My siblings and my friend, Jane," Eliza answered while ripping the letter from her siblings.

"Well, then I'll leave you to it. I'm gonna ask Guarnere how the fuck we're supposed to strap this on," Toye stated as he looked at the leg pouch, given unexpectedly to the paratroopers.

"Okay, if you find out how, please tell me."

"Will do." And Eliza was alone, left to read the letters from her siblings and Jane.

After a couple of hours, Eliza was looking for Toye since she still didn't know how to attach the leg pouch. From a distance, Eliza saw Luz, Malarkey, and Guarnere; so she decided to join them.

"Why are they springing these things on us now?" Malarkey stated with a grumble.

"It's just an extra 80 pounds strapped to your leg. Does anybody have any idea how the hell this thing works?" Luz responded while clutching a buckle of the pouch.

"Huh, I was gonna ask you the same thing. I'm guessing the rest of you guys don't know how to strap this stupid pouch," Eliza stated, making her presence known, while the men smiled at her.

"Colonel Sink," Vest stated to the group, whose attention diverted to him as they received a piece of paper.

"Soldiers of the regiment: Tonight is the night..." Luz stated, perfectly imitating Colonel Sink, as the group red the letter.

"..Of nights. Today, as you read this, you are en route to the great adventure for which you've trained for over two years," continued Luz, however in his normal voice.

"So that's why they gave us ice cream," Guarnere pointed out as he lifts a bowl of vanilla ice cream, which earned a laugh from Eliza.

As Guarnere continue to eat his ice cream and Luz and Malarkey tried finding a way to attach the bag, Eliza sat on the pavement floor and unclasped her necklace, staring at the bright star pendant. It would be a lie if Eliza stated that she wasn't afraid or hesitant to jump into Normandy, but staring at her mother's necklace gave her some relief and comfort.

In the midst of her thoughts, Meehan shouted, "Easy Company! Listen up!"

And so Eliza placed the necklace in her pocket and ran with the men to listen to the orders from the Lieutenant.

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After several days, the skies of England became brighter, so Easy Company was set to make their jump. Eliza was currently buckling her various bags and parachute, while the men around her were smearing the black paste on their faces or tightening their straps. When she finished, she went to the others at Second Platoon to wish them good luck.

"Oh hey Stardust, What are ya doing here? " Muck exclaimed as she neared the men of Second Platoon.

"Hi, Skip. I just wanted to wish you all good luck," Eliza stated with a smile. At her statement, the men smiled back and greeted her with luck, as well.

"Thanks, Stardust. We'll see you on the other side," Penkala expressed.

"Liz, stay safe out there," Liebgott stated with worry as he firmly gripped Eliza's hand.

"I'll try my best Joe," Eliza replied as she shook Liebgott's hand.

"Well, I'll be on my way. I still have to give First Platoon motion sickness pills."

After bidding Second Platoon goodbye, Eliza turned around to make her way to the plane that would carry First Platoon. However, when Eliza turned around, she accidentally bumped into someone's shoulder. When she looked up, Eliza saw that it was Winters.

"Oh sorry, Lieutenant Winters," Eliza muttered quietly, damning her nerves.

"It's okay, Corporal Clark. W-Well good luck," Winters mentioned as he shook Eliza's hands. But when both Winters and Eliza held each other's hands, they felt a spark.

Quickly pulling her hand away, Eliza with a blush uttered, "Umm, good luck Lieutenant, I'll be heading now to join First Platoon."

"Of course, goodbye Clark."

And so Eliza and Winters went their own way. Meanwhile, the men of Second Platoon were grinning since it was apparent to anyone that they had feelings for each other, so the men began placing bets on who would confess first.

After a couple of hours, Easy Company were ready and set to go. With final greetings of luck, Eliza and the men entered the planes that would fly them into battle. When Eliza was finally seated in between Blithe and Webster, she silently prayed for the safety of herself and the men of Easy. Minutes in the plane turned into hours, and Eliza tried to take her mind away from the jump by humming the tune of La Vie En Rose, the same song Eliza sang when she danced with Winters. Eliza learned the song from her mother, who would always sing it as a lullaby when she was younger. However, the song couldn't suppress her worry-filled thoughts of jumping out of a perfectly functioning plane, while facing the chance of dying from enemy fire or a malfunctioning parachute. Not only was she afraid of dying, but Eliza was worried about her siblings, who would suffer more from her death since they already lost their mother and their father was in a coma. With a sigh, Eliza reminded herself that it wouldn't do good to dwell on her fears since it would get in the way of what she was supposed to do, for it was her duty to jump and aid her comrades when wounded. But the hardest thing for Eliza to accept was that if she died, she prayed that God would help her family and friends to continue living.

The hard rocking of the plane and the loud rumblings waked Eliza from a nap, she desperately needed. After rubbing eyes, Eliza saw the dark sky filled with bursts of light, which became a clear sign that the plane was nearing the drop zone. When the light turned red, Eliza and the men quickly stood up and hooked their buckles. After going through equipment check, the plane suddenly jolted, causing Eliza and some of the men to lose their balance while the bursts of light became clear that it was enemy fire. As the plane flew further, Eliza hoped that the damn light would turn green since the aircraft kept jolting and bullets were ricocheting. Unfortunately, the airplane had taken so much damage that the pilots decided to drop Eliza and the men much farther from their drop zone.

Once the light turned green, Eliza was out of the plane and falling onto the battlefield. As she hovered, Eliza saw flames blazing in the dark sky and bullets shooting towards the paratroopers. Not only was enemy fire concerning, but high winds were directing the landing of the parachute. The wind carried Eliza's parachute into part of the field where trees were abundant and cursing her luck, Eliza landed into the thorny branches. As she fell into the trees, Eliza acquired many splinters, a deep flesh wound on the side of her abdomen, and a sprained ankle. The pain from falling into the trees took all the will-power of Eliza not to scream so that she wouldn't attract any more enemies.

When she finally reached the ground, Eliza quickly took off the straps of her parachute and limped to a shrub. As she sat on the grass, Eliza checked the gash on her stomach, grunting in pain, as she moved to grab some sulfa and gauze. In the midst of tending her wound, Eliza heard two German soldiers nearby, so she stopped what she was doing and cowered further into the bush. As they neared her hiding spot, Eliza placed her hand onto her mouth to mute her grunts and heavy breathing. Fortunately, after several minutes, the German soldiers turned around and went on their way.

"Oh thank God," Eliza stated with a sigh of relief. However, relief was short as she whimpered from moving her stomach and putting weight on her sprained ankle when standing up. Eliza decided to go the other way of the German soldiers since staying in one place wouldn't be safe.

After limping for several minutes, Eliza made it into a clearing and spotted two soldiers. As she closely walked to them, Eliza saw the familiar paratrooper uniform.

"Flash!" Eliza shouted, gripping her wound as blood was seeping from the bandages.

"Thunder!" The two soldiers replied, walking closer to Eliza. When she saw that it was Winters, Eliza was glad that he made it safe and unharmed.

"Lieutenant Winters," Eliza greeted with a smile, even though she was in immense pain.

"Corporal Clark, it's nice to see you, this is Private Hall," stated Winters as he pointed to Private Hall, who was currently taking his parachute off.

"Given the circumstance, It's nice to meet you, ma'am," Hall stated as placed his helmet back on.

"Likewise, Private Hall," Eliza responded, as she fell to the ground since she couldn't bear the pain of her sprain ankle.

"Eliza, are you okay?" Winters asked as he quickly went to her aid. As Winters helped her up, he felt something wet. When he brought his hand up for inspection, he saw that it was blood.

"I landed in those trees, so I got a deep flesh wound on my stomach and a sprained ankle," Eliza informed as Winters brought her left arm around his neck, to help steady her.

"Thank you, Dick," Eliza whispered in his ear, which Winters blush from how close she was. He was thankful that it was dark and his face covered with the black paste, so she wouldn't see him blush.

"It's not a problem, Eliza. Hopefully, we can get to the assembly area, so your wounds can be treated," Winters replied with a small smile.

And that damn smile made Eliza realize that she was doomed because, at the sight of Winters, her heart couldn't help but skip a beat.


	9. Day of Days

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Band of Brothers and the images I used, just my characters and story. In addition, I meant no disrespect to the real soldiers of Easy Company and I apologize for any mistakes whether it be historical inaccuracies or punctuation/grammar.

Thank you seeingthroughtheblack, jjbroadway,weredog, Twilight-lover106, mateopotato, and uzumaki49 for following and favoring!

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Normandy, France: 1944

The night grew cold and dark as Winters, Hall, and Eliza continued their trek into the forests of Normandy. The trio had few encounters with the Germans but luckily were able to escape without any apprehensions. Even though the darkness of the night and the woods provided easy concealment, the soldiers were careful of their steps since dead foliage covered the ground. Unfortunately, this task was difficult for Eliza since her sprained ankle prevented her from moving swiftly such as Winters and Hall. Not only was Eliza's sprained ankle an issue, but the deep gash at the side of her abdomen became very painful whenever she moved. It was excruciating for Eliza to continue walking with the men. However, she couldn't risk asking support from one of the men or stop to take a break since the Germans were nearby. So, with a straight face, Eliza ignored her pain and followed Winters and Hall.

As the group walked further into the forest, Eliza became dizzy from blood loss, while the pain from her sprained ankle became too agonizing for her to walk. While Winters and Hall were scanning the area for enemies, Eliza leaned onto a trunk of a tree for support and closed her eyes to relieve her dizziness. However, due to the lack of rest, Eliza fainted as her body loudly thudded onto the ground.

The loud sound alerted the two men, as Hall pointed his rifle towards the direction of the noise, prepared to shoot, while Winters took his knife out. As their eyes scanned the area, they saw Eliza on the ground, unresponsive.

With haste, Winters knelt down onto the grass and settled Eliza in a sitting position, while a nearby tree trunk supported her. With fear and concern plastered on Winters's face, he quickly examined Eliza to make sure that a bullet was not the cause of her fall. With a sigh of relief, Winters didn't find any bullet wounds on Eliza. However, relief was short-lived as Winters discovered the reason for her collapse, as he looked at his hand stained with blood in the pale moonlight. Examining Eliza's abdomen, Winters found her former white bandage soaked with blood. As he looked at the extent of her wound, Winters cursed himself for not noticing that Eliza was becoming weak from the strenuous walking. Winters knew how Eliza was stubborn, which was not a surprise for him that she would ignore her pain so that the trio could reach the assembly area. Winters admired Eliza for her selflessness, but he was also upset that she would willingly place herself in danger for others since it broke his heart to see her suffer.

"Is she all right sir?" Hall questioned with worry, breaking Winters's reverie.

"I'm not sure Hall, she fainted from exhaustion and blood loss. Do me a favor, watch the area while I tend to her wounds," Winters stated as he searched Eliza's pouch for sulfa and gauze.

"Will do sir," Hall answered, turning his back away from the pair and patrolled the area, making sure there was no indication of the enemy.

While Winters covered Eliza's gash with sulfa, he couldn't help but remember the time he also tended her wound when she fell from running Currahee. With a smile on his face, Winters wrapped gauze around Eliza's stomach. However, the sudden movement roused Eliza from her unconsciousness. As she lifted her head, settled on the rough exterior of the trunk, Eliza saw that Winters was in the midst of wrapping gauze.

"What happened?" Eliza whispered as she fixed her posture so that Winters can properly attend to her injury.

"You fainted, Eliza, you should have told me your injury was this bad," Winters responded with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to be a burden, especially when the Germans are close by," Eliza mumbled as she lowered her head in shame.

"You're not a burden, nor will you ever be one," Winters answered with a small smile, as he finished dressing Eliza's wound.

"We should get going, don't want to get caught by the Germans," Winters continued as he helped Eliza stand up. When she was in an upright position, Winters grabbed Eliza's arm and hauled her onto his back. From the sudden act, Eliza had no time to object, as she laid on Winters's back, his arms supporting her while she grasped onto his neck.

"What the hell are you doing Dick?" Eliza shrieked into his ear.

"You can't continue walking with a sprained ankle and a large gash on your stomach, it's the reason why you fainted in the first place," Winters pointed out as he walked to catch up with Hall, who was preoccupied with patrolling the area.

Eliza was about to object since she didn't want Winters harmed while carrying her. However, another wave of dizziness hit Eliza, and before going into unconsciousness again, Eliza whispered, "Thanks Dick, for always taking care of me."

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After several more hours of walking, Eliza slowly opened her eyes and raised her head from the comfort of lying onto Winters, hearing him joking with Hall.

"We're not lost, private. We're in Normandy." Eliza was glad to be awake for the

"Oh, Corporal Clark, you're awake now. How are you feeling?" Hall muttered with a smile, as he walked with Winters by his side while having his rifle ready in his hands.

"I'm fine now, thank you for asking, Hall. Oh, I forgot to tell you that I prefer my first name, Eliza than Corporal Clark or ma'am since it's too formal, " Eliza replied with a smile of her own.

"Well, if only you call me John, ma-Eliza." At Hall's response, Eliza happily nodded her head towards him.

"Dick, you don't have to carry me all the way to the assembly area. I'm okay now," Eliza whispered into his ear, now diverting her attention to the red-haired man that was gently carrying her.

Winters was about to state his disagreement. However, a loud noise alerted the trio, so Winters gently placed Eliza down to hide among the shrubs. After several minutes passed by watching the other side of a small river, Eliza and the men saw a soldier stepping out and walking to their side of the river, recognizing that it was an American paratrooper.

"Who's that?" Winters whispered as his pale blue eyes stayed on the trooper.

"I think it's Lip," Eliza answered, which she was right when Lipton uttered,"Lieutenant Winters? Eliza?"

Eliza, Winters, and Hall met with Lipton and two other paratroopers, as they knelt down to exchange information.

"Any weapon?" Winters whispered to Lipton.

"No sir, as soon as I hit that prop blast, so long leg-bag; all I got is this knife and some TNT, these 82nd boys got their M-1s, though," Lipton answered, while the troopers for 82nd diverted their attention to Hall, who exclaimed," Oh man, 82nd, Where the hell are we?"

"Sir, I saw a sign back thataways, it said, Sainte-Mère-Église."

At the mention of the sign, Eliza and the men were glad to have some indication of where they were in a place they barely knew about because even with maps on hand, it was difficult to navigate through the woods in the dark.

"Flashlight? Raincoat?" Winters asked, which Lipton gave his flashlight and obtained a raincoat from one of the men in 82nd.

After several minutes of looking at the map under the raincoat, Winters informed," We're about seven kilometers away from our objective and only four hours away from when we need to have it secured."

"So, we got a lot of walking ahead of us. You, men, will stick with us until we find your unit," Winters continued, while Eliza cursed under her breath at the mention of walking so much. With a plan, Eliza and the men quickly packed their things and started on their trek.

While Lipton was notifying the men from 82nd of their objective, Winters quickly went to assist Eliza. However, Eliza immediately held her hands up to stop Winters.

"Dick I'm fine, I can walk on my own," Eliza stated as she reassured Winters by limping beside him.

"All right but I'm keeping a close eye on you so you won't faint again," Winters reluctantly agreed since he knew that Eliza was too stubborn.

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Hours after walking onto a clear road, Eliza and the men saw a railroad up ahead. As they grew nearer, the group saw several soldiers.

"Flash," Winters exclaimed as he slowly walked first, while Eliza and the rest of the men followed.

"Thunder!" A chorus of men responded, glad to find another group of paratroopers.

"Lieutenant is that you?" Guarnere asked while Winters nodded his head in response and greeted Malarkey.

"Glad to see you, sir. Hey fellas, is everybody okay?" Guarnere continued, as he scanned over the group.

"Yeah we're all okay, except for Eliza, she sprained her ankle and got a large gash on her stomach," Lipton informed him, the two being the last to appear since Eliza was holding Lipton's arm for support.

"What the hell happened to ya? The Krauts got to ya?" Guarnere questioned with concern, as he quickly walked assist Lipton in supporting Eliza.

"Nope, as a matter of fact, my injuries were caused by landing in the trees," Eliza answered, after thanking him for helping her.

"Guarnere!" Winters called, shortening the conversation between Eliza, Lipton, and Guarnere.

"Well, I better go and see what the Lieutenant wants, but it's good to see you, Stardust," Guarnere stated, which he then called for Toye to help Eliza.

"You too Bill," Eliza replied, giving him her signature smile.

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Eliza and the men continued walking along the tracks, with Hall and Guarnere at the front leading while Eliza was at the back of the group, with Winters carefully watching her. As the group neared a tunnel, they began to hear the neighs of several horses. Suddenly, Hall raises his arm and the entire group halt, as Winters runs up and peers over a fence. With haste, Winters signals the men to take cover on the side of the railroad. Once they were all hiding behind a concrete partition, the men prepared their firearms to shoot from Winters's command. However, when the Germans appeared, Guarnere suddenly fired his weapon. Soon, the rest of the men shot their guns, until every German and their horses were dead. Meanwhile, Eliza stayed where she was, shutting her eyes and covering her ears from the loud sounds emitting from their weapons. When it was over, Eliza saw the lifeless bodies of Germans and horses, with blood, covering the whole area. The sight had haunted Eliza to the core since she knew that war would entail many deaths, but witnessing it was a much different situation.

"That's enough Guarnere! Everyone okay?"

"Yes, sir," The men answered as they scan the area to make sure the noises of their weapons didn't alert more Germans, while Eliza came out of her cover and joined the rest of the men.

"Next time I say wait for my command, you wait for my command, Sergeant," Winters sternly stated to Guarnere, since his action could've cost severe consequences.

"Yes, sir," Guarnere answered with the same tone, as he knew that Winters had no right to reprimand him for killing the Germans.

Within a few seconds of the end of their conversation, Eliza and the men were alerted at the shot of a gun, turning their heads to the sound and fearing the worst. However, they saw Toye killing a horse out of mercy. Eliza sighed in relief, grateful that it wasn't one of them to be injured, though she was sad that the innocent horse had died. When it was all clear, the men continued scavenging the Germans for supply, Lipton handing Winters a German rifle and Eliza, a combat knife.

"Just in case, I know medics don't usually carry a weapon, but it's better than your scissors," Lipton stated, knowing that it was best for Eliza to be armed.

"Thanks, Lip," Eliza responded as she accepted the knife since she chose not to carry a weapon. However, the few close encounters had shown her how helpless she was.

"What's that guy's problem?" Hall asked as he looted, which caught Eliza's attention.

"Gonorrhea," Malarkey responded while checking the bodies of the deceased Germans.

"Really?"

"His name, dummy. Guarnere, Gonorrhea, get it?"

"So besides having a shitty name, what's his problem?"

"None of your fucking business, cowboy!" Guarnere shouted, having enough of Hall's questioning.

However, Hall was not the only one curious as to why Guarnere was acting out. So when the men finished rifling and continued walking at the orders of Lipton, Eliza seized the opportunity to talk to Malarkey alone.

"Hey, Don, what happened with Bill?"

"You don't know?"

"C'mon Don, if I knew, I wouldn't be asking you."

"Well, I heard his brother died at Cassino."

At those words, Eliza sadly sighed since she understood Guarnere, for she knew the pain of losing someone close. So, Eliza thanked Malarkey and continued walking with the men in silence, as she couldn't help but think about her mother.

Soon, the night became day as the sun slowly tinted the land with its orange rays. As they continued walking, the unit came across a marsh-like area, with many insects buzzing around. Fortunately, the trek through the marsh was short, as the group reached to more green lands. Nearing a burned down farm, Winters cautiously stopped the unit, calling Lipton and Wynn who recently joined them to inspect the area. When it was declared to be clear, the men and Eliza walked to pillage from the dead. Limping closer, Eliza was appalled to see the dead paratrooper hanging from the tree.

"Hey Stardust, you okay?" Toye asked, concerned from Eliza's horrified face.

"That could've been me," Eliza whispered, as she stood still staring at the body with haggard eyes.

"C'mon Stardust, it won't do you any good to continue staring," Toye stated as he gently placed his hands on her shoulder, to move her away from the horrid sight.

Eliza was not the only one to be stunned as McDowell, a man from the 82nd, kept his eyes on the dead paratrooper, only for his reverie to be broken by Lipton. As the group collected ammo and supplies, loud sounds from planes flying above them alerted that the landings have started. So the group quickly packed their things and proceeded their walk to the assembly area. While the men walked in silence, Eliza couldn't help but keep her mouth sealed, when she knew that the man who was walking next to her was suffering.

"It's tiring to see the same pitying looks from everyone, isn't it?" Eliza whispered because, from experience, she knew how condescending it was.

"Yeah it is, how do ya know?" Guarnere asked, surprised that Eliza understood.

"My mother died when I was 16; I remember how much I hated it because that's what everyone saw me as, a child who just lost her mother. I also received the same treatment when my father got into a coma from a car accident, which is worse because he's not even dead, even though the possibility of him not waking up is greater, I still have faith."

From her story, Guarnere was amazed, since he couldn't believe that the brown-haired woman limping next to him, had endured so much in her life. Everyone in Easy Company thought that Eliza was such a bright person, who would always lift their spirits when she grinned, and it showed when her eyes gleamed. It was just like his ma told him, that the people who smile the brightest are the ones who suffered the most.

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After many hours of walking, the unit finally reached the assembly area. Eliza sighed in relief, glad to see more of her fellow paratroopers and that she didn't have to be in more excruciating pain from hiking through the woods. As the men dispersed to go to their respective unit, Eliza heard a familiar voice calling her name.

"Hey, Liz!" Liebgott shouted, glad to see his friend had made it safely. However, Liebgott's smile turned into a frown when he saw Eliza limping and many layers of gauze wrapped around her stomach.

Running towards Eliza to help her, Liebgott shouted," What the hell happened to ya?"

"It's nice to see you too Joe and don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Eliza answered as Liebgott grabbed her arm and placed it around his neck, to support her.

"Liz, don't ignore the damn question."

"I landed on some trees, so I got a sprained ankle and a gash on my stomach."

"C'mon, I'm taking you to the aid station right now. Didn't I tell you to be careful out there?"

"Yeah you did, but it's not my fault that I had to land on an area with so many goddamn trees."

After the pair finished bickering, they immediately went to the aid station to get her wounds checked. In the makeshift station, Eliza saw many medics treating injured paratroopers, one of them being Roe, who was wrapping gauze on someone's head. In an instant, Liebgott carried Eliza to Roe, knowing that she would protest to being taken care of when there were other soldiers with much severe injuries.

"Hey, Doc, Liz's got a sprained ankle and a gash on her stomach. I've gotta go, but I'll be back to check up on ya," Liebgott stated as he gently placed her on a table, while Eliza bid him goodbye and good luck to the others, as she knew that the men were awaiting orders.

"Gene, don't listen to him, I'm fine," Eliza stated, hopeful that Roe would trust her.

"Then lemme check your wounds," Roe ordered, knowing that Eliza was downplaying the severity of her wounds, she always was.

With a sigh, Eliza knew that Roe had caught her lie, so she carefully unraveled the gauze and lifted her shirt. Solemnly, Roe examined the long and deep gash on Eliza's stomach, making sure there were no signs of infection. When there was none, Roe injected local anesthesia and cleaned the wound of dried blood. After, Roe stitched her wound and wrapped it with clean bandages. When he finished, Roe checked onto her sprained ankle, which he used gauze as compression to decrease swelling.

"The gash on your stomach should heal up quickly, but I'm concerned about your ankle since it's pretty swollen. Stay here and keep it elevated," Roe stated, as he gently placed Eliza's ankle on an old blanket.

"Thanks, Gene, but I can't just sit here. I'm a medic, so I should be helping out," Eliza expressed, as she tried to stand up so that she can show Roe that she was all right.

"Fine, but I need ya to rest, you won't be any help if you open your stitches or injure your ankle even more," Roe responded, knowing how headstrong she was.

"Thanks, Doc."

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The day had quickly gone by, and Eliza was currently staring at the night sky, taking a break that was forced upon her by several of her fellow medics. Around her, she saw many men coming back from securing Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, so she limped around to find anyone from Easy Company until she came across a truck. Hobbling closer, Eliza saw a man behind the cover, and so curiosity got the best of her. When she entered, Eliza was greeted by Malarkey, Guarnere, Toye, Lipton, Compton, and Winters.

"What the hell is that smell?" Eliza asked as she leaned onto the trunk, next to Winters.

"That my friend is Malarkey's cooking," Compton answered, after taking a sip of his drink.

"How are you doing?" Winters asked with concern, while the other men tuned into Eliza's response as they were also worried about her.

"I'm okay. Doc stitched and bandaged me up, so I'll be fine," Eliza answered with a smile, grateful for their concern. Meanwhile, Toye handed both Winters and Eliza a bottle of beer.

"Joe, they don't drink," Guarnere commented as he smoked a lucky strike cigarette.

"It's been a day of firsts," Winters responded, as he grabbed the bottle while Eliza nodded in agreed and took a sip of the alcoholic beverage.

"Don't you think, Guarnere?"

"Yes, sir."

"Carry on."

"Good night, sir."

"Oh, sergeant."

"Sir?"

"I'm not a Quaker."

From Winters's response, everyone laughed while Guarnere mentioned that Winters was probably a Mennonite. While Winters left, Eliza stayed a while to finish her beer and to catch up with what happened at Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. However, she was devastated when she learned that Hall had died at Brecourt.

"He was a good man, even from the short time I got to know him, I could tell," Eliza sadly stated as she took another sip.

"Yeah, I was a dick to him, wasn't I?" Guarnere asked Eliza, after taking a bite of what Malarkey cooked.

"You were, but he understood why. Well, I should be heading back to the aid station, I'll see you guys later." As she left, Eliza received a chorus of goodnights.

While turning to the aid station, Eliza saw Winters deep in thought while staring out at the orange horizon from the bombings. Curious, Eliza slowly approached Winters and whispered, "What are you thinking about?"

From her voice, Winters slowly turned around to see Eliza starting at him with a smile.

"Nothing important," Winters replied as he smiled in return since a couple of minutes ago, he was thanking God for seeing him through that day of days. So Winters promised to God and himself that if he could manage to come back home, he would live the rest of his life in peace and maybe, with Eliza by his side, just like she was right now.

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A/N: I'm sorry for not updating for a while, I decided to take a break since I was trying to get over writer's block. In addition to writer's block, I injured my shoulder and I completed this chapter several days ago, but it was all gone since Microsoft crashed. So thank you for your patience and support!


	10. Carentan

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Band of Brothers and the images I used, just my characters and story. In addition, I meant no disrespect to the real soldiers of Easy Company and I apologize for any mistakes whether it be historical inaccuracies or punctuation/grammar.

Thank you Guest for reviewing!

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Normandy, France: 1944

A few days after capturing Sainte-Mere-Eglise, Eliza and the men were taking a break, waiting for more men to join them as Easy Company was not yet complete. Meanwhile, Eliza was resting on the steps of a monument with Perconte and Dukeman by her side. However, the loud shoutings of the men suddenly woke her up. As Eliza lifted her helmet off from her face, she saw Talbert, Blithe, Powers, and other men from First Platoon joining them. While Talbert and Powers were talking with Liebgott and Luz, Blithe decided to sit down on the monument while the trio questioned him about his travels.

"Hey Blithe, it's good to see you," Eliza greeted with a smile, Blithe smiled in return.

"How was your jump?" Dukeman asked.

"Ah, missed the DZ," Blithe responded while placing his rifle and helmet down on the steps.

"Yeah, that goes without saying. Got any good souvenirs to trade?" Perconte asked, which Blithe responded with a confused expression. To clarify, Perconte showed Blithe the row of watches, strapped onto his left arm. While Dukeman was gazing at the watches, Eliza laid back down onto the steps to rest.

"They're all tickin', unlike their previous owners."

"So, have we lost anybody?"

"Tommy Burgess took one in the face, while Popeye Wynn got pinked in the behind."

"Hey, Eliza, how're they doin'?"

"They're gonna be okay, just shipped to a hospital in England."

At Eliza's response, the men were relieved, and so they continued onto their chatter while Eliza went back to her nap. However, Eliza's snooze shortly ended when Lieutenant Welsh shouted for First Platoon to move out.

"Let's go, First Platoon! Easy's moving out! On your feet!"

As the men gathered their items to head out, Eliza cursed under her breath since she was sleep-deprived. Even with a sprained ankle and a gash on her stomach, Eliza still helped around the aid station, stitching and cleaning wounds. If she wasn't in the aid station, Eliza was checking up on the men, making sure they ate and were well-rested. After checking her equipment and putting on her helmet, Eliza joined the men of First Platoon.

"Listen up! It'll be dark soon. I want light and noise from here on. No talking, no smoking, and no playing grab-fanny with the man in front of you, Luz." At the last part of Welsh's orders, everyone laughed.

"So where are we headed to, Lieutenant?" A soldier asked as all men of First Platoon stood in formation, at the front of Welsh.

"We're taking Carentan."

"That sounds like fun," Perconte sarcastically stated, which earned a tired smile from Eliza.

"It's the only place where armor from Omaha and Utah Beach can link up and head inland. Until we take Carentan, they're stuck on the sand. General Taylor's sending the whole division."

"Remember boys, give me three days and three nights of hard fighting, and you will be relieved," Luz stated, once again perfectly imitating General Taylor and earning peals of laughter from the platoon.

Once Hoobler volunteered to be the lead scout and Welsh gave out his orders, Easy Company started their trek towards Carentan. Though, before walking out, Luz couldn't help but mimic General Taylor a second time.

"Another thing to remember boys, flies spread diseases. So, keep yours close."

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Carentan, France: 1944

After marching through the night and losing Fox Company many times, Easy Company finally reached Carentan. The men were currently crouching onto the gravel pathway towards the town, waiting for further orders from the Lieutenants. Once Winters instructed Welsh of the strategy, Welsh quietly shouted for First Platoon to move. With haste, the men of First Platoon and Eliza ran towards the town. However, enemy fire suddenly ambushed the platoon, leaving Welsh, Luz, and Eliza behind a wrecked building for cover while the rest of the men were hiding in ditches beside the gravel pathway.

"Goddamn it," Luz shouted, moving closer to Welsh as a bullet almost hit him in the shoulder.

"Where the fuck is everybody? Where did everybody go?" Welsh shouted back, as Luz shot back.

"I have no idea!"

In the midst of the loud peals of bullets flying towards them, Eliza heard the faint shout for a medic. Scanning the area, Eliza was able to pinpoint the sound a few feet from her, as it was one of the men, who was initially shot down from First Platoon. The man was lying down surrounded by the few dead paratroopers of First Platoon, providing him cover. Saying a silent prayer, Eliza with her heart thudding rapidly, ran away from cover as bullets passed her.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Welsh shouted to Eliza, but she didn't respond as she was busy crawling in the long strand of grass at the side of the gravel path for concealment. When she was close to the injured soldier, Eliza dragged the soldier out of the trail after discovering a weak pulse, once again using the grass for cover. Beside her, more soldiers of First Platoon were coming out of the ditch and following Compton into the town, with Second and Third Platoon following. After dragging the soldier through the grass, Eliza gently placed him on the wrecked building beside Welsh and Luz who were firing a round of bullets.

"Just doing my job, Lieutenant," Eliza replied as she checked the unconscious soldier, who had multiple gunshot wounds to his abdomen and legs. After the quick assessment, Eliza applied sulpha to his injuries and tourniquets to his legs to stop the bleeding. When she finished, her next concern was his stomach as more blood started to pool out. As Eliza was using gauze to compress the bleeding, she felt the soldier's body slack, a sign of too much blood loss.

"C'mon, Morris stay with me!" Eliza shouted, as she quickly wrapped the bandage and placed her bloody fingers to his neck. When she felt his pulse still beating, Eliza hauled Morris onto her back, making a run to the makeshift aid-station at the edge of town.

"Be careful out there, Stardust!" Luz yelled, after further cowering from a grenade explosion.

Eliza ran with bullets hitting the ground beside her feet while carrying an injured man on her back. At that moment, Eliza was grateful for the night marches and running Currahee because it provided her with the necessary strength to carry out her duty. Hell, if she would survive this war, Eliza would thank Sobel, an act she never would've thought to do.

After carrying Morris to the aid-station and informing another medic of his wounds, Eliza ran back to town. As she slid behind a wall for cover due to the pain of her ankle being unbearable, Eliza suddenly heard a cry for a medic. Ignoring her pain, Eliza ran to the soldier, who had a graze on his neck and his left leg severed from an explosion.

"It's going to be okay Evans," Eliza stated trying to calm the stressed soldier as she tied a tourniquet to his left thigh and poured sulpha to the stump. With haste, Eliza turned her attention to the graze on his neck, which was spraying out blood. Eliza tried to stop the bleeding by applying pressure. However, she was too late as Evans had died, his body lying limp against the concrete wall. Eliza immediately removed her bloody hands from his neck to close his hazel eyes. Once his eyes were closed, tears started to stream down her face since Eliza blamed herself for not being able to save him in time. She witnessed countless deaths as a nurse before, but what brought her to tears was that Evans didn't even look old enough to enlist. With a shuddering breath, Eliza quickly wiped her tears away, knowing that it wouldn't do her any good to ponder over his death, and so she ran to another call for a medic.

Meanwhile, Easy Company was quickly taking control of Carentan as the men were able to shoot down the Germans, who were securing the front buildings and enabling more paratroopers to enter Carentan. After bringing in another paratrooper to the aid station, Eliza saw many of the men throwing grenades into the houses, further securing the area. However, several minutes later, German mortar fire rain down on the men. Without any reinforcement, the men run to get off the streets. As Eliza ran towards the loud booms of explosions, she heard the familiar shouts of Talbert.

Nearing the wreckage from German artillery, Eliza settles beside a severely injured Lipton, quickly assessing his wounds. Talbert sighed a relief when Eliza appeared as she promptly grabbed the necessary equipment.

"You're gonna be okay Lip, Eliza is here," Talbert stated trying to calm down Lipton, who slightly shook his head in response as Eliza administered morphine.

"Tie this around his arm," Eliza instructed as she handed him a field tourniquet. While Talbert was tending to the gash on his arm and cheek, Eliza unzipped Lipton's pants to examine the wound on his groin.

"Don't worry Lip you're still gonna have little ones running around," Eliza stated as covered the bleeding wound with gauze. When they managed to control the bleeding of Lipton's wounds, Eliza and Talbert hauled him up to carry him to the aid station.

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Several hours passed and the regiment was successful in capturing Carentan. Eliza was currently in the aid station, stitching a graze on the shoulder of a paratrooper from Fox Company. When she finished, Eliza saw Roe assisting Blithe, to enter the aid station.

"What's wrong with Blithe?" Eliza asked with worry as she helped Roe bring Blithe into the aid station, gently setting him down in a corner beside the doorway since wounded paratroopers occupied every area of the room.

"He's got no wounds, just that he can't see," Roe answered, before leaving to help another medic bring in another wounded to the aid station, while Eliza took over in caring for Blithe.

"Hey Blithe, can you tell me what happened?" Eliza questioned, while Blithe's light eyes blankly stared at her.

"I don't know...suddenly everything just went all black."

"Did you feel any pain when you lost your vision?"

"No pain, ma'am."

In addition to his response, Eliza further inspected his eyes. However, his light blue eyes seemed to look normal. Blithe's condition worried and puzzled Eliza, though without knowing what else to do, Eliza decided to check Blithe while she examined other injured paratroopers.

"I don't see anything in your eyes to have caused vision loss, but I'm going to monitor you until a doctor is available to see you. So, try to get some rest and eat this," Eliza stated as she broke a piece of her chocolate bar. She always gave some of her chocolate rations after seeing a wounded soldier, for a boost in morale and the battle lasted for hours, so they were surely hungry.

"Thank you," Blithe whispered, as he accepted the bar of chocolate and slowly taking a bite out of the bar, finding comfort in the sweet treat.

"Not a problem Blithe, I'll check up on you in a little bit."

As Eliza turned around to attend to another patient, she didn't expect it to be Winters, who was limping towards the entrance of the aid station. Running to him, Eliza helped walk Winters to an empty table.

"Thanks," Winters stated as Eliza carefully placed him on the table, while she sat on a stool and nodded to him in response.

"Are you all right Eliza?" Winters continued, looking at her with concern since blood covered her face.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Eliza responded as she removed his boots and rolled his pants up, to examine the wound.

"You have blood all over your face, did you get injured again?"

"I-It's not my blood," Eliza stammered because she couldn't help but remember Evans, the boy she didn't save. Meanwhile, Winters's concern for Eliza grew as sorrow suddenly filled her once bright green eyes. Winters was about to question her more. However, he thought it would be best to give her some space.

"Sorry, this is going to hurt," Eliza informed Winters, as she used tweezers to pull out the metal embedded in his gash.

"Fortunately, it's a small piece of a ricochet."

"Stupid," Winters whispered as he handed her a silver pan to dump the metal. However, Eliza heard him as she gently wiped away the blood seeping out of his wound.

"It's not your fault," Eliza told Winters with a small smile before disinfecting the wound.

"Almost done, but you're gonna have to keep weight off it."

"Eliza, I won't be able to do that."

"Dick, at least try."

Suddenly Compton came towards Winters to be informed of plans for Easy Company.

"What have we got planned, chief?" Compton asked as he took off his helmet.

"Well, we expect a counterattack. Carentan is as important to them as it is to us."

"Any idea when?"

"We're not waiting around to find out. Battalion wants us to head east toward high grounds, set up a defensive position. With all the flooded fields, it's the one direction they'll approach from."

"Yeah. You gonna be alright?"

"Y-yeah." Winters had grunted in pain as Eliza slightly lifted his leg to wrap the wound properly.

"Good," Compton stated as he nodded his head and left the aid station.

"What's wrong with Blithe?" Winters asked Eliza finished wrapping the bandage around his leg.

"No physical wounds, but he lost his vision."

"He can't see?"

"Yeah, Blithe told me he couldn't see anything."

Concerned for his comrade, Winters stood and limped towards Blithe.

"Dick, I just told you not to put weight on your leg," scolded Eliza. However, Winters ignored her and kneeled in front of Blithe. Without any choice, Eliza walked towards the pair.

"Blithe? It's Lieutenant Winters speaking, while Corporal Clark is beside me. What happened?"

"I don't know, sir. Well, things... they just kinda went black on me."

"What, you can't see?"

"Not a thing, sir. I can't see a thing."

"Hi Blithe, I'm just going to examine your eyes again," Eliza notified as she gently turned his head towards her. Eliza meticulously analyzed his eyes to make sure that she didn't miss anything. However, just like the first time, Blithe's eyes looked normal.

"Well, you just take it easy, Blithe. I'm gonna get you out of here. Get you back to England," Winters assured Blithe, as tears fell down his face. It broke Eliza's heart to see Blithe suffer, while she couldn't do anything to help.

"I didn't wanna let anyone down."

"No. Just take it easy. It's okay, son."

"Yeah, don't worry Blithe. I'm sure you didn't let anyone down. There's more wounded that I need to tend, so I'll check on you until you're evacuated. "

As Eliza and Winters were about to leave, Blithe exclaimed, "Sir, ma'am?"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Thank you, Lieutenant Winters and Corporal Clark. I'm okay. Yeah, I'm okay. I'm okay... I think I'm okay." Blithe then walked towards the pair.

"You can see?"

"God, I don't know what happened. I think-I think I'm okay."

"All right. Well, stay here a little while longer and make sure. Then you can report back to your platoon."

"Yes, sir," Blithe stated as he walked away.

Eliza and Winters looked at Blithe with amazement but were grateful that he was able to see again. Suddenly, at that moment, Eliza realized what happened to Blithe.

"I should've known," Eliza whispered, catching Winters's attention.

"Know what?"

"Blithe had Hysterical Blindness; he lost his vision due to extreme emotional stress. I could tell he was stressed before, but I didn't know it was to this extent. If only I did something earlier, to relieve his stress, he wouldn't have lost his sight," Eliza reprimanded herself, feeling the guilt weigh herself down. In addition to not saving Evans, she could've prevented Blithe's blindness. Eliza felt that she failed in being a medic.

Meanwhile, Winters saw how distressed Eliza was becoming, so he gently grabbed her arm and led her outside of the aid station. Making sure no one would see them, Winters brought Eliza into a hug because he knew, just from her crestfallen expression, that she blamed herself.

The hug from Winters had immensely surprised Eliza. However, the comfort of being in Winters's arms caused few tears to slip out of her green eyes, as the emotions she tried to bottle started to flow. And at that moment, Eliza realized that she would be forever grateful to have Winters by her side.

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A/N: Sorry if this chapter was crappy, I might revise this later on, but tell me in the reviews/comments what you thought about it. Unfortunately, next chapter won't be posted for about two weeks since I'll be revising past chapters and I'm moving out for college.


	11. Letting Go (Part 1)

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Band of Brothers and the images I used, just my characters and story. In addition, I meant no disrespect to the real soldiers of Easy Company and I apologize for any mistakes whether it be historical inaccuracies or punctuation/grammar.

Thank you PtLacky, shortstackpenguinfan, , WolvesWaitingRose, DarkLordofMemes, Momokeito, Deathbatdrone, Snipe Hunter 98, Lainey McFall, leggomygreggo2, lovisarose, booklover2014, and Tsukiko722 for following, favoring, and reviewing!

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Carentan, France: 1944

As Winters held Eliza in his arms, he felt the wetness of Eliza's tears as it soaked his jacket. Releasing a tired sigh, Winters didn't know the extent to which Eliza was bottling up her emotions. Winters knew that Eliza wasn't one to express her feelings to others since she saw herself as a burden if she were to do so. However, to Winters, he would never see Eliza as a burden because even the most independent and stubborn person needs someone to rely upon. Meanwhile, Eliza found comfort in the arms of Winters, which she was utterly grateful for since no one had been there for her as Winters has. Even when her mother died, Eliza forced herself to be valiant so her younger siblings and father through their grief, had someone to depend on. For this reason, Eliza took it upon herself to care for others before herself, whether it be emotionally or physically. However, all good things must come to an end as Eliza knew she would have to let go of the comfort within Winters's arms. Reluctantly, Eliza removed herself from Winters, and as she saw his tear-stained jacket, Eliza blushed in embarrassment.

"Damn it; Dick I'm sorry for wetting your jacket," Eliza stated as she looked into her pockets for some cloth to pat his jacket dry.

"No need to apologize, Eliza; this should be the least of your worries," Winters replied, as he held her hand to stop her fussing over his jacket.

As their hands touched, Eliza and Winters couldn't help but feel a spark.

"Well, I-I should get back to the aid station," Eliza stammered as her cheeks redden once again.

"Eliza, it would be best if you take a break; I'm sure the other medics could manage without you."

Winters's gaze showed his plea for Eliza to follow his order, and so she complied without any revolt. Before going their separate ways, Eliza turned towards Winters gaining his attention; and with a smile, she stated, "I know I always thank you, but I truly mean it every time. No one has ever been there for me as you have."

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As Eliza departed the aid station, she saw from a distance, Blithe and some of the men from First and Second Platoon laying on the stairs of a wrecked building. Eliza decided to join the group, to inspect Blithe's eyes once more and to make sure her comrades were okay. When she came closer to the group, the men uttered out their greetings while Muck gurgled his words since his mouth was full.

"Skip, what the hell do you have in your mouth?" Eliza asked, after returning their greetings and sitting down on the stairs with the men.

"Kraut cheese - it stinks," Muck replied with a frown on his face, as he grabbed the stale bread from Penkala.

From his response, Eliza couldn't help but laugh, earning smiles from the men in return. As she looked through her satchel, Eliza retrieved the rest of her chocolate ration.

"Here this should remove the taste from your mouth," Eliza articulated as she threw the chocolate to Muck.

"You're a godsend, Stardust."

While Muck feverishly devoured the chocolate as Penkala tried to take a piece, and More and Malarkey were discussing when the war would end, Eliza turned her attention to Blithe who was laying down on the stairs.

"How are you holding up Blithe?"

"I'm doing okay, Corporal Clark."

"Blithe, no need for formalities, you can call me Eliza. However, it's nice to know you have manners, unlike some men."

At her remark, Muck glared at Eliza while the men smirked. Ignoring Muck's glare, Eliza asked, "How's your vision?"

"It's fine ma'am."

"Have you had an episode of blindness from the last time I've checked?"

"No, ma'am; but what caused my blindness?"

"I've talked to Doc Roe about it, and we think it might be Hysterical Blindless. It's a condition in which temporary loss of vision occurs due to emotional stress."

In the middle of their conversation, Lieutenant Ronald Speirs of Dog Company walked up to Eliza and the men as he stated, "Enjoy it while it lasts. We'll be moving out soon."

"Out of town, Lieutenant? Already?"

"That's right," Speirs responded, taking a moment to look at each soldier. When his eyes landed on her, Spiers smirked; however, Eliza and the men did not notice it.

As Speirs went onto his way, he stopped when More muttered, "Don't they know we're just getting settled here?"

Throwing More a look, Speirs left the group while the men and Eliza were left to contemplate on what happened.

Breaking the silence, Muck uttered, "Nice Groucho..."

"What?"

"Real Smart. You know, you're taking your life in your own hands. Ain't that right?"

"I told you. I didn't actually see it."

Eliza knew the men were about to discuss the stories about Lieutenant Spiers: how he shot the prisoners during D-Day and even shooting someone from his platoon. Eliza didn't pay much attention to the details the men were talking about since she believed it wasn't typical of her to talk rumors about someone else. It didn't mean that Eliza wasn't fascinated about the certain Lieutenant, but at the moment she had better things to do, such as resting even for a few minutes since the day was emotionally and physically draining. However, at the brink of falling asleep, Eliza was awakened when Welsh shouted, "Let's go, First Platoon, weapons on me! We're moving out!"

Eliza cursed her luck as she stood up from her position and grabbed her stuff to join her platoon in tactical column. As she secured her helmet, Eliza saw Blithe not moving from his initial posture with his hands covering his face.

"As much as I want to rest too, we gotta get up Blithe," Eliza whispered; however, Blithe remained lying down on the stone cold stairs. She understood how tired he was. Hell, they barely had time to recuperate, and now they had to move out with the chance of facing the Germans once again. However, Welsh ordered, "That means you, Private Blithe."

From the encouragement of the men and Eliza helping him off the stairs, Blithe grabbed his supplies and followed his comrades as they marched to their next position.

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The platoons of Easy Company marched through the fields as thunder rumbled, signaling the upcoming downpour. The men grumbled in discontent; however, Eliza smiled since the rain always brought comfort to her no matter the circumstance. The sound of rain droplets became a melody, and the coldness from each drop of rain that laid upon her exposed skin soothed away Eliza's tiredness. Unfortunately, as soon as gunfire poured onto the platoons, the screams for a medic forced Eliza out of her reverie. While the men ran to the hedgerows for cover and in position to fire back, Eliza remained at the back, running to those shouting for assistance and tending to the wounds with the best of her abilities. Through the conflict, Eliza was able to stabilize some of the wounded; however, all battles come with a price as Eliza painfully witnessed the death of her comrades.

The day quickly turned into night, while both sides remained in their hedgerows, enduring the thunder and torrential downpour. Stationed near Third Platoon, Eliza tried to rest; however, the loud singing of the Germans and the thunder made it impossible for her to fall asleep. Abandoning the idea of sleep, Eliza decided to leave the ditch she was in and check on the men from the other platoons. Bidding a farewell to Roe, Eliza made her trek using the dark for concealment. From a distance, Eliza saw the figure of Winters and Welsh, so she made her way towards them.

"Mind if I join?" Eliza asked, gaining the attention of Winters, Welsh, and Blithe.

"Clark, you shouldn't be wandering around," scolded Welsh as he left the ditch with Winters to discuss strategic matters.

"Couldn't help it, Lieutenant; but I'll keep him company in the meantime," Eliza replied, settling down next to Blithe as both Lieutenants left.

"Who're you sharing the ditch with?"

"Sergeant Martin."

"Oh, I'll keep watch until he comes back. You should probably get some sleep."

"I'll try to but thanks, ma'am."

However, neither would Blithe or Eliza be able to rest as they were alerted from a scream near Third Platoon.

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A/N: I do apologize if it's much shorter than other chapters, but I am trying to ease myself back into writing. However, since it is the summer, I now have more time allotted for writing, so I'll try my best to post weekly!


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